


Smoke and Mirrors

by nishiki



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: 1960s, Alternate Universe - 1960s, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Circus, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Angst, Author is bad at tagging, BAMF Diego Hargreeves, BAMF Klaus Hargreeves, Circus, Cults, Diego is the biggest softie in history, Dorks in Love, Established Relationship, Family Fluff, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Idiots in Love, Klaus Hargreeves’ Cult, Light Angst, Luther and Diego working together, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Powerful Klaus Hargreeves, Protective Diego Hargreeves, Protective Luther Hargreeves, Romance, Romantic Fluff, Season/Series 02, Sibling Bonding, Sober Klaus Hargreeves, Soft Diego Hargreeves, Stuck in time, Tags Are Hard, Time Travel, True Love, accidental cults, and so is Luther, basically Klaus is part of a circus now, kliego - Freeform, summaries are hard, unwilling cult leader
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-21
Updated: 2020-11-14
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:00:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 45,717
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26562538
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nishiki/pseuds/nishiki
Summary: After being catapulted into the year 1963, Diego needs to come to terms with the possibility that the love of his life might be dead. Nonetheless, he starts his quest to find Klaus and the rest of his family. That is until he finds Klaus as the star attraction of a traveling circus.
Relationships: Allison Hargreeves & Diego Hargreeves, Ben Hargreeves & Diego Hargreeves, Ben Hargreeves & Klaus Hargreeves, Diego Hargreeves & Luther Hargreeves, Diego Hargreeves/Klaus Hargreeves, Klaus Hargreeves & Luther Hargreeves, Raymond Chestnut & Diego Hargreeves, Raymond Chestnut/Allison Hargreeves
Comments: 60
Kudos: 189





	1. Prolog

**September 1963**

His back hurt like a bitch. Sleeping outside was not for the weak and Diego Hargreeves found himself wondering just how his brother Klaus had done it for over ten years. Of course, he realized that Klaus had not been on the streets for the entirety of those years either. There had been a time, long ago, when Klaus and he had shared this tiny apartment in the bad part of town. His adopted brother, however, was a creature of change, a chameleon. He couldn't seem to stay in one place for a long time, always on the move. 

So, of course, he used to shake up his living situation every once in a while with the occasional stay at some rehab facility after being picked up by the cops. His record was as long as Diego’s arm. Possession, theft, and loitering had been the smallest of his offenses. After he had been caught breaking into a house and stealing the jewelry of the owner, Klaus had faced a prolonged stay in prison for almost an entire year. Not to mention the few times Diego himself had taken him in out of the goodness of his heart - or, as Allison would call it, stupidity. And yes, maybe she had been right about that too. He must be stupid. So often had he allowed Klaus to crawl back into his life, make himself at home, and break his heart in the process. 

Every time he had found his brother seemingly at rock-bottom and had taken him in to take care of him and help him turn over a new leaf, he had ended up with sufficiently less material possessions around his already small boiler room apartment. Every time he had woken up and found another toaster or transistor radio gone or the meager amount of cash that he used to keep in a cookie jar on the top shelf of his self made kitchenette raided, he had been frustrated and disappointed but never angry. No, never angry. Klaus did what he needed to survive and apparently stealing from Diego was part of that. 

And Diego … Well, he had never had it in himself to give up on Klaus. For some reason that he couldn't quite explain, he had never given up on him because he knew that his brother had only him left, that he was Klaus’ only respite from the world. A part of him - a stupid, childish, naive part of him - had always thought that Klaus saw more in him than just a meal-ticket. After everything they’ve been through together, it had always seemed that they were drawn towards each other like a moth to the flame. Now, however, he had no idea where Klaus was - or any of his other siblings for that matter.

He had been spit out by that wormhole three days ago and still, there was no sign of the others. He didn't know where they had ended up or if they were even still alive. It wasn’t that big of a surprise that Five had messed it up again. Five always messed stuff up when it came to time travel. Like the rest of them, Five too was a fuck-up. Five was a fuck-up and Diego Hargreeves, Number Two, _the Kraken_ , was stranded in 1963 - alone. 

Three days he had spent walking around Dallas after he had actually realized where he was, trying to find out anything about his siblings - agonizing over their fates, over _Klaus’_ fate. He had spent the nights outside, sleeping in parks or empty apartments that he had broken into. If his siblings were here, in 1963, he should have heard something, right? _Anything_. A man like Luther, for example … he wasn’t particularly inconspicuous, right? Or Klaus! Even Allison and Vanya would have drawn attention because of the way they looked or were dressed. And Five, a boy in a school uniform running around Dallas? No, if they were here, there should be people knowing about them. However, everywhere he went and asked people looked at him funny and shook their heads. 

The fear that his siblings might be dead slowly, slowly started to become a reality for him. Even in the past, when he hadn't heard from his siblings for years sometimes, he had still slept soundly at night knowing that they were still out there. Vanya had still been giving violin lessons for children. Luther had still been at home. Klaus had still been roaming the streets and getting into trouble. Allison had still been making movies in Hollywood. 

Diego Hargreeves had known that he only needed to reach out to any of them. And now … he was alone. His siblings were probably dead. Klaus was probably dead. So much was still left unsaid. So much still left undone. The thought that he would never see them again and that he would never feel the touch of Klaus’ lips on his again, hit him like a ton of bricks that sunny September day. He just stood there, blind to his surroundings, deaf to the voices of strangers, numb to his own heart breaking once again - staring blankly at the poster for some traveling circus that had set up camp in Dallas over the summer. 

**-End of Chapter 1-**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This first chapter is a bit wonky, I think. But it's only just the beginning. I can promise that it gets better (wonkier). Tell me what you think <3


	2. Chapter 2

**October 1960**

He hadn't seen the car coming. Well, if he had seen it coming, he would have been more careful walking along the country road with no clear destination in mind - just him and the friendly ghost trailing beside him yammering in his ear like a cat in heat. If he had seen the car coming, he would have jumped out of the way. He hadn't seen the car coming, though. It had been dark and it had been raining cats and dogs and he hadn't seen the car and the car hadn't seen him. And then it had been too late. He hadn't really felt the impact as the car had hit him or when he had flown through the air and slammed into the asphalt of the street breaking every bone in his fucking body. 

He felt it though as he woke up on the same asphalt and stared into the faces of a group of very weird looking people. His first thought, when he came back to life, was, that ghosts were staring down on him.

“He’s alive!” A female voice called out but since the faces leaning over him were all just beige blobs, he couldn't make out who had been talking - not that he cared. “Thank God!”

“Hey, can you hear us?” Another voice said. A man this time - judging by how deep the voice was, at least. “Are you in pain?”

“Of course, he’s in pain, Oliver! Look at him! Oh, God … we should get him to a hospital!” Another female shrieked.

“I-I I didn't see him! I didn't see him! I would have swerved out of the way! He was just _there_! The rain is so heavy and-”

“It's okay, Susy! I didn't see him either. It was an accident!”

“I don't want to go to jail!”

“We are getting him to a hospital and you won’t go to jail!”

“No … hospital … please” Klaus finally managed to groan through his teeth. His jaw hurt as he did, though. In fact, everything hurt. He felt like his entire body was on fire. His head hurt like a bitch and everything else was just … come to think about it, he had no actual clue where he was hurt and where his body did _not_ experience any pain right now. It was as if every bone in his body had been shattered. “No … hospital” He tried again before everything turned dark.

※※※※※※※

**September 1963**

Everywhere he went, that circus poster seemed to follow him around like a bad smell or some kind of sign. He had only once been to a circus in his life - with Eudora on their first official date after being friends for a while during his time at the police academy. It had taken him much longer than he would like to admit to muster the courage and actually ask her out. The fear of rejection heavy on his mind after a lifetime of being seen as not good enough. In the end, she had been the one to do it. She had been fed up with him beating about the bush for so long. 

That's what he had loved about her too, her courage, her strength, her independence. She had been a woman not in need of any man to do the first step. He was still thankful that she hadn't waited for him to do the first step because otherwise, they might have never gotten together. Sure, their relationship hadn't ended pretty but he still wouldn't wanna miss the time that they did have together for anything. 

He didn't have the fondest memories of that date at the circus. He mainly remembered the unpleasant smells from the various animals, mixed in with the sweet smell of the popcorn and the cotton candy. He remembered the steep prices and the sticky seats. Well, the date had been a disaster but the company had made up for that completely. They had laughed together after they escaped halfway through the show about how bad it was. He remembered walking away from the circus and how it had started to rain - a full-blown downpour. Neither of them had had a car at that time - or, ironically enough, an umbrella. When they had ended up back at Eudora’s place, they had been soaked to the core. Not that this would have mattered to any of them. They had started kissing right then and there and the rest was history. 

Sometimes it took a bad date for something beautiful to be born from it. Yet, he had ruined it. Like he ruined every good thing in his life because of his inability to let go of his past. He had never talked about Klaus with Eudora. He had never said anything about their relationship. And yet, he had always had the sneaking suspicion that she had known. Maybe she had known from the start. Maybe that was the reason why their relationship had broken apart. Maybe she had thought he was someone he was not, that she could change him, that she could make him forget Klaus and his past. Maybe she had realized that Diego would never be able to quite let go of Klaus before he had.

Still, that circus poster made him feel uneasy as he walked into the police station on Main Street and saw it hanging on the bulletin board. Five days. He arrived five days ago, getting by on what little cash he had on himself. Five days and still no sign of life from his siblings. The police station wasn’t like the one that he was used to in the City. Sure, Dallas was a big city but the station he walked in was a rather small precinct that just covered the district around the neighborhood Diego had arrived in. As he walked in, he was greeted by the familiar smell of coffee and donuts and people having to sit around the bullpen for hours at a time. He felt right at home here. He listened to the sound of typewriters and the scratching of pencils across paper as reports were being filled in, of phones ringing and people talking.

It took him about five minutes to be led to the desk of one of the officers. The way he sat there, his hunched posture, the protruding belly, the thinning grey hair, the box of donuts on his desk, and the stains on his paperwork told Diego everything he needed to know about this man and his work ethic. He was the sort of cop who had spent his entire life behind that same desk, who came into the job with hopes and dreams of doing something good and who had bittered to the reality of humanity and was now settling for a steady, boring, yet safe position behind his desk instead of going out and fight crimes. He looked days away from his pension and would not lift a finger until then. The moment he stepped up to the man, Diego felt sobered quite brutally - like his head had been dunked in ice-water after going on a bender with Klaus. 

“Detective Henderson?” Diego asked and gave his best to sound as polite as possible. He had been raised properly, after all. Raised in a way that deemed it important to be respectful to his elders and the police. Henderson looked up from his report and leveled him with a bored gaze as he took in his appearance. Diego had hidden his knives and harness away in a backpack that he had found in a trashcan the other day. People, for some reason, didn't take too kindly to people running around with knives like this. Especially not when those people were not white. He tried a friendly smile as a response to Handerson’s look. 

“What can I do for you, Son?” He asked in a gruff voice and gestured to the chair on the other side of the desk, the universal sign to tell someone to sit down. So, Diego complied quickly and lowered himself into the chair.

“I’m looking for someone.”

“Aren't we all?”

“I mean … I’m looking for my family.” He had thought about what he was going to say. He couldn't say that he was searching for his entire fucking family, of course. That would just look and sound weird. Especially if he had to describe them. “I’m looking for my brother. Klaus.”

Henderson raised an eyebrow but let out a low grunt in a way of response before he grabbed his notebook and pen. “I’m all ears, Mr…”

“Hargreeves” Maybe it was not the best idea to use his real name but if Klaus was around there was the possibility that he too was using his real name. “Diego. My brother is about 6 feet tall, very thin. He has dark brown hair, uhm … short, I guess. He has a goatee and green eyes.”

“And why is it you are looking for him?”

“He vanished,” Diego shrugged. “He … Uhm … he had a big fight with our old man and just ran off.”

“How old is he?”

“29” He already knew what the man was thinking so he quickly continued. “I know, I know, he’s an adult and can take care of himself but Klaus has a habit of getting himself in trouble and I’m … I’m just worried, Detective. He’s my little brother and he was very upset when he left home. He usually doesn't just vanish like this without at least telling me where he’s headed. I only figured that he might be in Dallas because he was talking about visiting soon. I just wanna know that he’s okay, you know? We went through a lot this past year … Our mom died and our dad … he’s not really a good person. We only have each other left.”

“I get it,” Henderson replied and offered him the first friendly smile since Diego came in. “Klaus … that's a german name.” Now he sounded suspicious. “When was he born?”

“1934” Ben would be proud of him for doing the math this quickly. However, he knew exactly why the man was asking. “He was adopted, you see? His parents came to the U.S. before the war but they both died. My parents were good friends with them and so they adopted Klaus. He was 2 years old at the time.”

Henderson stared at him as if he wanted to see if Diego would do anything to betray his lie. He tried his damndest to keep his poker face intact. He had never been the best liar but he had thought about a cover story in the past five days. It would have been stupid not to before going into a police station in this time period with the fear of communist intervention and the cold war raging behind the scenes of the political landscape of the world.

“Okay” Henderson finally nodded. “Is your brother a violent person? Unstable? Does he have” He cleared his throat. “Mental issues?”

“No,” He said even though he knew it was a lie. “No, Klaus is the most peaceful person I know. He couldn't harm a fly.”

“Good. Okay, here’s what I’m gonna do. I’m gonna file a missing person report and send out officers to search for him.” Well, that was a lot easier than Diego would’ve thought. “If he’s in Dallas, we’re gonna find him. However, if he doesn’t wanna see you, that's his decision.”

“Thank you, Sir.”

He didn't know what he was supposed to feel as he finally walked back out into the sweltering heat of the afternoon sun of Dallas in September. Henderson seemed sincere enough but a part of Diego knew that the man would just throw away the report and his notes and not investigate further because he couldn't care less about a missing 29-year-old German man. Maybe it had been naive of Diego to actually try this. Maybe he should’ve known better than this. Still, sometimes he was the same young man who had desperately wanted to become a policeman himself and still believed in the good of the police force and what it could do. Eudora had been the best example, right? 

For a moment, Diego just stood on the sidewalk and allowed the rays of sunlight to warm him. In the City, it was often cold so he wasn't quite used to the warm weather here in Texas. He still enjoyed it, though. Before anyone could ask him if he was loitering, however, Diego started walking again. He didn't have a direction, he didn't know where to go, so he just wandered around for a bit. Some people crossed the road when they would see him. He slowly started getting used to that rude behavior. Then, out of the blue, however, something caught his eye. It was probably just the bright yellow color of the dress of the woman in front of him as she left a beauty salon a bit further down the street that caught his attention. Whatever it was, it prompted him to look up and at the person wearing the dress.

His heart stopped for a second. There she was. His sister. Alive and well, and not even taking note of him.

“Hey, Allison!” He called out before he could think twice about it. “Can’t say hi to nobody?”

She whirled around on her equally yellow heels and as she caught sight of him, she let out a shrill shriek and came running towards him. They had never been close but he couldn't deny the relief and the joy he felt as he could catch his sister in his arms and give her a little twirl in the middle of the street. It seemed ages ago since he had seen her. Her hair was different. Her throat seemed healed - and, evidently by the shriek, her voice was too. 

“Diego!” She squealed. “Oh my God, it's really you!” He sat her back down again and immediately she had her hands all over him, fussing with his face and clothes. “Oh, you look terrible!”

“Thank you.”

“And you smell!” She grimaced after sniffing him.

“Yeah, I know.”

“Oh, wow … come … come with me. I don't live too far away, come. You look hungry.”

“Wow, aren't you a mother hen, all of a sudden?”

She brushed the comment off with a punch to his arm. “I can leave you out here on your own if you don't behave! When did you arrive?”

“Five days ago.”

“Oh, Jesus!” She exclaimed and an old lady looked at them with unbridled disdain. “I thought everyone was dead.”

“How long have you been here?”

“Since ‘61.” She sighed. “Let me tell you, it was a wild ride. It took one year for my voice to come back.” She took his arm as she started walking down the street and leading him away from the shop she had come out of. “Luckily, I found work and friends in this beauty shop. I don't know what I would’ve done otherwise. People are not exactly … friendly towards black folks around here.”

“They don't much like Mexicans either, apparently.” Diego huffed and they shared a rare smile. That they would bond over racism was not something he would have assumed. “Have you heard anything about the others?” _About Klaus_ , he wanted to ask. It hadn't been a secret between them that Klaus and he were more than just friends as teenagers. Still, they hadn't talked about it either. In front of their father, they had been forced to pretend like nothing was going on, sharing kisses and touches only under the cover of night. He had never harbored any illusions about the fact that his siblings knew, though. However, after everything that had happened before the apocalypse … He didn't know if they knew what had happened between Klaus and him. 

“No” Allison sighed. “Not a peep since I arrived. I tried searching for them, of course, but … nothing. It's like they were swallowed by the earth or…”

“Dead.”

“Yeah,” She sighed. “But maybe they will show up soon. I mean … I’m here for two years now and you just showed up, right?”

“Maybe you’re right.”

They got a lot of dirty looks as they were walking down the street. He just followed Allison’s lead as they walked through the streets of Dallas, still arm in arm as if that was something that was normal for them. He loved his sister, of course, but they had never been close like this. Fifteen minutes after they had met, they arrived in a different part of the neighborhood - not necessarily poorer, but simpler than the busy streets near Commerce and Knox. A row of simple townhouses was lining the street to each side and Alison led him confidently to one of the houses and in through the front door. 

“I have to warn you” Allison murmured as they walked in. The house was small but it looked nice and tidy. He couldn't quite see his sister as a 60s hausfrau but that seemed to be exactly what was going on as Diego caught a glimpse of a photo on a side table.

“You’re married?” He teased and pointed at the photo. “Wow, you didn't wait long, huh?” She punched his arm again. 

“Well, I didn't know if I would ever see any of you guys again!” She exclaimed in a way of defending her actions. Not that she needed to. Not in front of Diego. “I didn't know what would happen and if I would have to rebuild a life for myself, right?”

“Hey, I’m not judging.” He snorted and held out his hands in surrender. “He looks nice. When did you guys get married?”

“Six months ago.” She smiled. There was a warmth to her tone and her eyes that he wasn’t quite used to. He thought that he had last seen that side of his sister during their teenage years in those rare moments when Luther and Allison had deemed themselves alone. She really seemed to love this man in the photo. 

“Oh, so it's still fresh.”

“Yeah. We met at the beauty shop.” At Diego’s confused look, she laughed and quickly continued her explanation. “He’s … he’s an activist for black rights and the group meets at the salon. So … he’s a good man, Diego.”

“Well, let me be the judge of that. I’m your big brother, after all.”

“Technically, I am two years older than you now.” He barked out a laugh. “Come on, you need a bath. I’ll show you the bath and give you something of Ray’s to wear. He won’t mind. He should be home in half an hour ... so I need to get dinner going. Of course, you’ll eat with us. And you’ll sleep here tonight, okay?”

For a moment, Diego didn't quite know what to say or do. It seemed normal that his sister would offer him a helping hand but in their family, it really wasn’t - and so he was unsure how to react. He nodded a bit stiffly but followed her up the stairs nonetheless. 

Taking a bath felt heavenly. He was never the biggest fan of bathtubs - thanks to his power and his upbringing but right now, as he was soaking in the hot water, he could feel the tension wash off. It brought back fond memories of his childhood, of taking baths with Klaus while Grace had been watching over them with a smile. They had always been bathed in pairs until they got too old. Allison and Vanya, Luther and Ben, Klaus and Diego. Five had been the only one who got to bathe alone because he used to be such a menace. Once, at three years old, Five had tried to drown Klaus in the tub. He remembered foam fights with Klaus, playing submarine, splashing each other with water. Sometimes he missed those easier times of his life. It seemed so far away now. He wished he could go back and be a better brother, a better friend, a better partner. He wished he could go back to the time in this crappy, leaky, moldy little apartment with Klaus and be more understanding. He wished he could go back just to hold him in his arms again just one more time.

He had no idea how long he had been inside the bathtub as he heard voices downstairs. Apparently, Allison’s husband came home already. He couldn't understand what he was saying but his cadence sounded like he was in a good mood. Diego could only hope that Ray would remain in a good mood. He got out of the tub not too long after Ray had returned home, toweled himself dry, pulled the plug out of the tub, and got dressed. He even tackled his beard with Ray’s replacement razor that Allison had given him. Only as he looked in the mirror and saw himself again - even though Ray's clothes were not exactly his style - he allowed himself to leave the bathroom again. Allison already had his clothes in the washing machine downstairs. He had been forced to strip naked behind the bathroom door and then hand her everything before his bath through the crack in the door. What a weird thought that his sister was washing his clothes. 

That too should be something normal but in their family, nothing like this seemed normal.

He was actually a little nervous to go downstairs and meet Allison’s new husband. And really ... his sister had already gotten married again! Jesus! Well, then again, for her it had been two years while it had been only a couple of days for Diego. If he had been here this long already … yeah, he too would have chosen to build himself a new life, right? He was glad that Allison was actually happy, though. She deserved it - all of his siblings did.

As he walked down the stairs he heard someone pacing. It wasn’t the sound of heels so it was probably Ray. “You have to understand” He heard the voice of Allison’s husband. He sounded calm but he could hear a hint of frustration bleed into his tone. “It's a bit much … Until now I didn't even know that you had a brother. I think I’m allowed to be a little confused and … upset.”

“Actually, even though I don't want to make it any more confusing as it is, she has four brothers and one sister.” Diego said as he entered the kitchen. Allison immediately glared at him from where she stood at the counter and stopped cutting vegetables. She seemed tempted to stab him with the knife she was using. Ray’s eyes almost came bulging out of his head as he took in Diego’s appearance.

“But you’re-”

“Mexican, yes I know. We are all adopted. A colorful mix.” Diego huffed before he extended his hand to Ray who took it - still confused by his presence - and gave it a shake. “Diego Hargrevees, nice to meet you.”

“I … Uhm … I think I need a bit of fresh air.” Ray suddenly said. He looked a bit pale. “Excuse me.”

“Ray! Please…”

“I’m back in a few minutes.” He hurried out of the kitchen before any of them could say anything else and seconds later the front door fell shut.

“Thank you, Diego,” Allison hissed - that same sharpness to her words that she always used to implore when they were children. “Real smooth of you!”

“Hey, first of all, it's not my fault you didn't tell your husband about your family.” He replied just as sharply. “Second of all, he’s gotta find out eventually, right? Better make it quick like ripping off a bandaid. Now he knows and can calm down and then you explain everything.”

“Explain everything? Like what? That I have superpowers and that I have traveled here from the future? No! And you're gonna keep your mouth shut too!” She was actually waving the knife at him as if she needed to underline her words. 

“Fine! Then we’re just a bunch of adopted kids, okay? Geez. Not the weirdest thing in the world. We lost contact and that's why you didn't wanna talk about it.”

“I hate lying to Ray.”

“It's not even a lie. We did lose contact.” Diego shrugged. “I mean, we lost contact after Ben’s death and then after we were catapulted through a time-wormhole thingy that landed us in the 1960s because our time-traveling teleporting brother messed things up again. In all honesty, we can be glad that we didn’t end up thirteen again.”

That actually startled a laugh out of Allison. With a fond little sigh that was usually reserved for Klaus and his antics, Allison handed him the knife she had been wielding. “Here, knife-boy, make yourself useful. You’re the better cook anyway and I need to get out of those shoes. Also, Mama needs a drink after today. You want a beer?”

“Now we are speaking the same language.”

Five days ago, he had tried to avenge the death of Eudora, after death had found her before her time in that motel room because Diego hadn’t been quick enough. Five days ago, he had been dealing with shutting off his robot mom only to get her back by some miracle and then lose her again as his sister had brought down the house to kill all of them. Five days ago, his sister had tried to kill all of them. Five days ago, the world had gone up in flames. And now he was here, in the 1960s, in his sister’s kitchen, listening to the radio while he was cutting onions for dinner. He had always enjoyed cooking because he had been taught by his mom. He had spent every spare minute that he could in the kitchen with her whenever his father had allowed it. 

Surprisingly, Reginald had approved of Diego’s willingness to learn how to cook. _Every young man should know how to cook_ , he once said as he had brought in a famous chef to teach them. For Diego, however, it was more than just knowing how to take care of himself. When he was cooking he thought about the hours he had spent with his mom in the kitchen, how she would hum a tune and how relaxed he had been during those sessions with her. He had never really minded the way his siblings had teased him about it either or the way they called him a mommy’s boy or later remarked on how he was a mother hen just because he liked taking care of others. Sure, it had irked him when he was younger but the older he got the more he understood that the teasing wasn’t mean-spirited at all. It was his siblings' way of showing appreciation for him because they didn't know any other way to show that.

It was half-past six when the front door opened again and he heard Ray walk back into the house. Allison was currently setting the table while Diego was stirring the pasta sauce he made. He had barely touched his beer so far but Allison had already emptied a glass of wine and was about to refill her glass.

“Ah, right on time!” Diego called over his shoulder as if it was normal that he was here and cooking, as if Ray and he were not complete strangers and as if Ray wasn’t shocked about the fact that his wife had kept this huge secret from him. “Dinner is ready.”

Ray hovered in the door, looking confused about what to do next before Allison pulled out a chair for him with a small smile. Ray sighed, walked in and sat down as Allison started serving dinner. What a weird thing. Last time he had eaten with his sister was when they were still living at home. Now he was sitting in her kitchen with her husband like an intruder. The awkward silence during dinner was interrupted only by the music from the radio and then, Allison’s chuckle as she pointed at Diego’s face.

“What?” He asked around his food.

“You look like a kid!” Allison commented and laughed even louder before handing him a napkin to clean the tomato sauce off his chin. “You need another bath if you keep going like that! It's like the one time when we were on that hiking trip, remember? You ate more than Luther afterward as if you had been starved for weeks!”

“In my defense, the last thing I’ve eaten was Mom’s smiley pancakes.” He huffed but slowed down a little bit then. Suddenly, he grew aware of how Ray was looking at them.

“So…” Ray then began. “Let's address the elephant in the room.”

Klaus would have made a joke about that. He wasn’t Klaus, though, and he saw how Allison was trying to come up with something, probably scared to ruin yet another marriage. “Hey, sorry for just barging in on you guys like this.” Diego came to her defense before she could say anything. “It's not Ally’s fault.”

“I’m not mad about getting a surprise visitor.” Ray huffed. He seemed much calmer than before. “I’m curious about why my wife didn't tell me about the fact that she apparently has five siblings.”

“Six, actually.” Diego hummed. “Well, one of us is…”

“Dead.” Allison murmured and took another sip of her wine.

“Yeah,” Diego murmured. Even thirteen years later, Ben’s death still stung and he doubted that it would ever hurt any less even though they now knew that Ben was still around - watching out for Klaus. “One of us is dead.”

Ray stared at both of them blankly. It was clear that they wouldn't get away with just joking around. He wanted an explanation and he wanted it now. 

“I’m sorry, Ray … I know I should've told you but-”

“We lost contact” Diego came to her defense again and exchanged a look with her. He knew that she hated it when he would cut her off like that but he also knew that Allison would only manage to dig that hole deeper with her words. “After Ben’s death we all … drifted apart, you see? That was thirteen years ago. So … We all started new lives, if you will, as far away from each other as possible, and … we all acted as if the others wouldn't exist. It's not her fault. She didn't want to lie to you, it was just … easier to pretend that we didn't exist. Ben’s death was what broke us all apart and it was too painful to think about the past. She didn't mean any harm.”

Allison looked at him with surprise written all over her face. His siblings had always been good at writing him and Klaus off as stupid or unperceptive. They never understood that they both just kept their thoughts and feelings to themselves mostly, masking them behind anger or humor. 

“You know how families can be, huh?” Diego then turned back to Ray. “No one knows how to hurt you better than your family and we did that. All of us. We hurt each other to the point of no return and … here are we now.”

Ray was silent for a minute as he just looked down at his half-eaten food and let it all sink in. Diego could tell, however, by the way his shoulders seemed to relax, that understanding was growing behind that forehead of his. “Why are you here now then?” Ray finally asked as he looked up again. His eyes were softer now. The storm was over. He was still angry that Allison had kept this secret and Diego had no doubt about it but, he was willing to forgive and forget, willing to learn. 

“I came to Dallas five days ago.” Diego shrugged. “I didn't know Ally was living here. I was looking for our little brother Klaus. He’s … Well, he’s…”

“He’s … a troublemaker.” Allison laughed. “Always up to no good.”

“Yeah.” Diego huffed. “I haven't heard of him in a while. Not that this would be anything new but lately we had more contact again. So, when I didn't hear from him for a while, I got worried. I know that he wanted to come here at one point and I thought … I would just go and see if I can find him.”

“That is the stupidest plan I have ever heard” Ray sighed and Allison let out a cackle.

“It is,” Diego confirmed with a grin. “Welcome to the family.”

**-End of Chapter 2-**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tell me what you think! It makes my heart go doki-doki


	3. Chapter 3

**October 1960**

Light was streaming down on him as he opened his eyes. Sunlight was dancing in all the colors of the rainbow around him. A pleasant smell hung in the air, patchouli if his nose wasn’t playing any tricks on him. It was nice and warm wherever he was. He was lying on something heavenly soft, a mountain of pillows as it seemed. 

“Klaus.” Ah, he knew that voice. He had started to miss it. His own personal Jiminy Cricket. Funny. How could he miss something that was always around and never leaving him the fuck alone? It felt like ages that he had last heard it, though. “How are you feeling?”

“Like I was run over by a bunch of hippies.” Klaus murmured. His jaw hurt.

“Close,” Ben chuckled. “But it was a bunch of circus people.”

“Ah,” He hummed. “Well, that's new … Tell me, Benerino … Is there a bearded lady? Siamese Twins?”

“It's called _conjoined twins,_ ” Ben replied and he could almost hear him rolling his eyes. “But no. No conjoined twins. But there is indeed a bearded lady. Her beard is fake, though. She’s nice. Her name is Ethel and she cooks for the whole team on most evenings. I guess she’s the wife of the boss here. She used to be a nurse - so she also took care of you after the others brought you here.”

“How long have I been out?” He felt thirsty all of a sudden.

“Three days.”

“Three days?” He muttered. “Did they give me anything?”

“Painkillers,” Ben sighed. “Sorry, there was no way around it. And something to push down the fever you got. They were careful about it, though. Ethel saw the track marks on your legs and … she put two and two together.”

“Thank God for Ethel.” Klaus sighed.

“Yes, thank God for Ethel. So, maybe next time … no taking a walk in the pouring rain in the middle of the night at the side of a country road, okay?”

“Sounds like a good idea.” Finally, he managed to look around a little. He was in a very colorful tent. It didn't seem big but big enough to walk around inside at full height. He could only assume that this tent was not meant for having people sleep in it. Maybe it was a community space of sorts. He tried listening to the sounds of the camp around him but all he heard was birds chirping in the distance, hushed voices, and the sound of pots and pans clanging together softly. It seemed entirely too peaceful. 

A part of him waited for the other shoe to drop even though he was awake for no more than ten minutes.

The flap of the tent was opened from the outside just minutes after Klaus had woken up from his slumber and revealed a rather large woman walking in. She had the brightest red hair that Klaus had ever seen and an even brighter red beard that she wore in a braid while her curly hair was allowed to fall freely down her back. She wore a simple blue-checkered dress and a white apron on top which made her look like a weird mix between Alice, Dorothy Gayle, and a Scot. As she found him awake, her face split in the biggest smile Klaus had ever been greeted with by a stranger. Then again, except for Diego, no one had ever smiled at him really. 

“You’re awake!” She announced with the thickest Scottish accent he had ever heard as she fixed him with a look. “I’m Ethel. Ethel DeWitt, dear.”

“Klaus,” He replied and cringed at how rough his voice sounded.

“Nice to meet you, Klaus,” she replied with such warmth in her voice that Klaus felt inevitably reminded of his mother Grace. “How are you feeling today? You gave us all a good scare, Darling.” She approached him with a first aid kit and sat down beside him on a purple pillow on the ground.

“I feel like I was beaten up by a giant.”

“I can imagine,” she sighed fondly, her face twisting into an expression of deep sympathy. Inside of his paranoid head, he could hear alarm sirens blaring. Maybe it was the years on the streets or his upbringing at the academy but he didn't really trust strangers being kind to him. He had been taught not to trust strangers being kind to him. In his experience, no one ever did something nice for someone without wanting something in return. Except for Diego, perhaps. Diego had always been kind and sweet. “You’ve broken a few bones, Honey. Your leg is broken, two of your ribs and your left shoulder was dislocated. Also, you got a nasty head injury. Let me have a look at you, okay? ” He nodded and she pulled back his blankets.

“Will I live?”

“Sure, Darling. But you will have to lay low for a bit longer.” She hummed as she took off his bandages. Only now he realized that he was naked except for a pair of boxer shorts that were definitely not his. “And until then, we will take care of you and spoil you a little.”

“I can't possibly accept that,” he murmured quietly. “I mean … I don't want to be a burden.”

“You could never be.”

※※※※※※※

**September 1963**

For the first time in quite a while, Diego felt well-rested as he woke up in the guestroom of his sister’s house. Sunlight was filtering in softly through the lace curtains in front of the window that was overlooking the street. It was routine that made him get out of bed at six in the morning. Usually, he would get up at six or even earlier, go for a run around the neighborhood, have a protein shake, and start doing custodial work around the gym. Now six days in the 1960s and even longer forgoing his personal routine, he felt like he was missing a limb. 

The house was still silent as he got dressed in the clothes Allison had washed and dried for him and put in his room before they all went to bed. Spending time with Allison and Ray had actually been fun last night. They had sat together talking and drinking beer - wine, for Allison - and just talked until they had hardly been able to keep their eyes open. Strange, how time travel could do such good things to a relationship as fractured and messy as his and Allison’s. 

He felt a little bit more like himself again as he was dressed in his own clothes, despite the crudely fixed holes in his sweater. Slowly, he walked downstairs into the kitchen. The least he could do was make breakfast, he assumed. He was just raiding the fridge to make some scrambled eggs and bacon as he heard footsteps coming down the stairs.

“Morning.” His sister’s voice announced her presence behind him and, as he turned to look at her, she was wearing a fluffy robe and slippers. Weird. For once, she looked like his little sister Allison again - and not like that movie star he had seen on TV the past couple of years. Suddenly, she was the same Allison that snuck out with all of them to eat donuts at Griddy’s in the middle of the night. The same Allison who would yell across the hallway for Klaus to stay out of her room. “What are you doing?”

“Making breakfast,” he replied calmly as if it was the most normal thing in the world that he would be cooking in his sister’s 1960s kitchen. “What's it look like?”

“You know that you don't need to do that, right?”

“Shut up, make coffee, and sit down.” 

Allison let a startled laugh slip out but actually went to go switch on the coffee machine while Diego was cooking. As she walked past him at the stove, she paused, however, and kissed his cheek before returning to her assigned task. A grin threatened to spread across his face. Well, it wasn’t that big of a secret that, beneath his macho outer layer, he was a big fucking softie. He still liked to pretend. 

“Isn't this kinda weird?” She asked after a while. “I mean … us two being so domestic and shit.”

“Hey, take that back. _You_ are the domestic one here, Mrs. Chestnut.” He huffed. “I’m just the weird scruffy, suspicious brother who dropped by to annoy his sister for a bit before moving on.”

Her look changed a little at these words and he didn't quite know what to make of it before she put words to what she was feeling. “You don't have to leave, you know that, right? You could stay here, get started on a new life. You don't have to do this lone wolf act anymore.”

“First of all, it's not an act, Sis.” She rolled her eyes but he opted to ignore that. “Second of all, I am still trying to find the others. I can't just … sit around and twiddle my thumbs, you know? I can't just … find a job, find an apartment, find a girl to marry, and move on as if nothing happened.”

“Why not?”

“Because.” As he looked at her, he noticed how her gaze softened a bit. They sat in the same boat, he guessed but Allison was here for a while and had already given up hope. She knew why Diego needed to keep searching. She knew who he was searching for. She had been there before but she had given up and Diego was one stubborn asshole. 

“Diego,” she sighed and shook her head slightly. “Come on. We don't know what happened to the others. We don't know if they are alive or if they have arrived already. For all we know they could be all over the timeline. They could have ended up in the 40s for all we know. Sure, you can spend the next twenty years searching everywhere for the others but this won't change anything, Diego, and this won't make it better that you feel shitty about Eudora’s death or about … about Klaus.”

“Don't-” He bit out and nearly let the eggs burn before he took a deep breath to steady himself. “Don't … talk about her. I’m not doing this for her.”

“No, you are trying to find Klaus and you do that because a) you feel shitty about Eudora’s death because, quite frankly, if any of us would have had their shit together, we would have known Klaus was in danger and she might still be alive. And b) because you feel guilty about not realizing Klaus was missing and about the shit he went through because you haven’t been there to protect him. But, newsflash, Diego, Klaus is a grown man and he can take care of himself. You can't run around and play the hero for everyone all the time. If anyone thrives at being thrown back in time, it would be our chaotic little brother. I know how you feel, Diego.” She said softly and placed a hand on his shoulder. “I know, okay? I tried to find Luther too when I landed here but with my voice gone and … I get it, is all I’m trying to say.”

“I still have to try,” Diego replied stubbornly.

“Diego-”

“No … No, Ally. I have to.” He shook his head. “I have to try. And when I … When I don't find anything, I’ll come back and take you up on your offer.”

“Where are you going to start? I mean, he could be anywhere.”

“If Klaus is already here … he would have found a way to get by. He is a master of survival and manipulation. Honestly, he would be the type to join a commune of hippies or start a cult, if you’d ask me.”

“You will need to make some money, though. I would help you out but I am no longer movie star Allison Hargreeves.”

“Don't worry,” he huffed. “I have a plan. There’s a circus in town.”

“So?”

“I do what Dad raised me to do.” At her confused look, he shot her a lopsided grin. “I’m gonna play circus animal for a bit.”

※※※※※※※

With every hour that passed, Diego Hargreeves grew painfully aware that searching for Klaus blindly was stupid. He didn't need Allison to tell him that or Ray to fix him with a concerned look over his breakfast. For all he knew, Klaus could be in Vegas if he was already here in this time period. He could be cheating during a poker game with Ben’s help right now. He hoped that Klaus was cheating at a poker game right now. At least then he would be alive.

DeWitts Circus had set up camp just outside of town. Even though the circus seemed to be quite famous and popular, city folks didn't seem too fond of the circus folk. That was, at least, what Diego had picked up by wandering around town and listening to people talk about the circus. Then again the people in Dallas didn't seem too fond of really anyone who was a little bit different. He had left Allison’s house after Ray had left for work. He had helped Allison to clean up the kitchen first, of course. After that, he had accompanied her to her shift at the beauty shop and left her under repeated promises to stay in touch and not just start traveling with some random circus without notice. _‘I’m not Klaus’_ he had said as a reply and Allison had rolled her eyes before punching him in the arm - lovingly. 

The last time he had taken a bus, he had been a teenager. It was a little uncomfortable as he actually got on the bus near the beauty shop. The bus driver eyed him wearily and so did a few of the people on the bus. Awkwardly, Diego maneuvered through the bus and took hold of a pole as the bus started driving. He had listened to what Allison and Ray had told him about their political movement and about the racial tensions in Dallas and now he felt even more awkward in his skin than usual. He was highly aware of the looks people gave him, of how they quickly averted their eyes whenever he caught them staring, or how women shifted their purses and handbags so that they were closer to their bodies. 

He was actually glad as more and more people got off the bus the closer they got to the outskirts. The bus was mostly empty with only a few people getting on the bus in the poorer outskirts before the bus left Dallas all together. There was one last stop at a country road before the bus would drive through to the next town. As the bus stopped, the driver turned around to face his guests. “Last stop before Sunnyvale!” He announced and Diego hurried to get off the bus. 

He knew that the circus wasn’t far now. He could easily walk the last bit. The bus doors closed behind him with a creak and the bus took off, raising dust in its wake as Diego stood there and looked around. Dallas was now behind him but only by a couple of miles. He could still see the outskirts of town, the area where the poorer neighborhoods were located - mostly blacks and Latinos. His sister had it made, all things considered. Ray was in a good position at his job so she didn't need to live in the poorer neighborhoods. The country road was leading via twists and turns towards Sunnyvale and a narrower street was leading up a hill in between fields of grass. The September sun was burning down on him as he started his hike up the hill. Tracks in the dirt road told him that it was used regularly. He was on the right path. 

It was a little odd for him to be in such a setting out here in the open. He had grown up in the hustle and bustle of the City and the seclusion of the academy. He was used to the smell of cars and overflowing trash cans. He was used to the sound of people shouting across the streets and the honking of the thick afternoon traffic. In all his years, he had never really been out in nature like this - except for the few camping trips that Reginald had forced upon them. They would have been fun too if it hadn't been for Reginald making everything an exercise in survival. One time, when they were fourteen, in the autumn after Five had disappeared, Diego and Klaus’ tent almost swam away due to the heavy rainfalls and they had been all alone out there because their father had decided it would be a great idea to have his children set up camp miles apart in teams of two. The exercise had needed to be canceled after Klaus caught pneumonia with an almost deathly high fever. 

As he was walking up the grassy hill, however, he actually enjoyed this change in scenery. He was always so driven by what he perceived to be his mission that he had never taken a moment to _‘smell the flowers’_ as Klaus would call it to make fun of him. Everything in his life always seemed to be a mission. Even this trek up the hill and towards the circus. This time, his mission was to get a job at the circus, and earn some money so that he could stay in Dallas, get a room somewhere and find a decent job. As hard as it was to admit for Diego, his sister was right. They didn't know what became of the rest of their family. They didn't know if they were still alive and would find their way towards them and they couldn't sit around and wait for it. They had to build up a new life for themselves. That was his mission now. And yet, the thought that he had lost Klaus again already after just getting him back physically pained him. They had wasted so much time with being bitter and now it might just be too late for them. 

As he had made it halfway up the hill, he could already see a gravel-covered parking lot in the distance that was, right now, barren of cars. This was probably the visitor parking lot. Behind it, he could see the imposing arch that marked the entrance of the circus grounds. Already he could see the main tent towering in blue and yellow over the rest of the circus grounds. The circus seemed much bigger than he would have anticipated. This was not just some small traveling act on the verge of going bankrupt like so many other circuses right now. 

There was no one stopping him from walking through the gate and onto the site where the vendors and the booths would present their craft to the audience before and after the main show. Right now, people were walking around fixing things or getting things in order for the night. A business like this was probably a nightmare in the upkeep. He saw a burly man walk across the site carrying a ladder over his right shoulder. It took the man with the wild, dark beard only five seconds to see Diego standing there.

“Hey, circus’ not open until tonight, Son!” He called over but he didn't sound unfriendly perse. Not as if he wanted to shoo Diego away by all means necessary. “Come back later.”

“I’m actually here to ask for a job” Diego replied as he walked closer towards the man. “I’m quite good at manual work. I worked as a custodian for a few years.” The man eyed him with what Diego could only describe as suspicion. Even here he didn't seem to be welcome because of the color of his skin. He was used to that kind of shit. It hadn't been that much different in 2019 - as long as people didn't know his last name. The name Hargreeves opened doors. Right now, however, he didn't have this ace up his sleeve - not that he had liked to use it anyway. “Look, Sir, I’m a hard worker and I don't have a problem with getting my hands dirty. I assume that you could always use an extra pair of hands around here.”

The man put the ladder down for a second and made a point of raising to his full height in front of Diego. He was not as tall or big as Luther was but he was still impressive - though Diego would probably be able to take him down easily. “What's your name?”

“Diego.” He replied quickly. 

“Okay … Listen, I can’t make that decision,” he said and scratched the back of his neck. It was hard to guess his age. He was probably not that much older than Diego himself. Maybe he was in his forties, judging by the fine wrinkles that started to appear on his forehead and around his eyes. “Go talk to the boss, Mr. DeWitt. You’re right, we can always use some helping hands around here. I can't promise you anything, though.”

“Thank you.” Diego smiled. 

“Don’t mention it, Boy. We’ve all been down on our luck before. You find DeWitt in the big tent. Can’t miss him. He’s the guy with the cowboy hat.” The man lifted the ladder again and was about to move on before he paused and looked at Diego again. “Name’s John.”

He nodded and waited before John had walked away again. Only then he moved over to the entrance of the big tent. The entrance was pinned to the sides, opening the tent up. Inside it seemed even warmer than outside as the sun stood high in the sky now and shined down on the tent directly. Benches were set up along the walls of the tent in a circle, leaving a space in the center where the performances took place. He could see how the trapeze artists were warming up on the ground for their practice run. The platforms that were used by them were so high it made Diego feel a little light-headed just looking up. There was no net to catch the acrobats if they would fall.

“And who are you?” The barking voice of a gruff looking man in a cowboy hat made him forget about how high those fucking trapezes were and direct his attention back towards the center of the stage. The owner, Mr. DeWitt, stood there talking with a couple of his performers but was now fixing Diego with an angry glare. “How did you get in here?”

“Uhm … through the door?” Diego tried to be funny but he quickly realized that DeWitt was not a fan. “I … Uhm, I’m Diego, Sir. Sorry for interrupting. John said to come to find you here.”

“And why did John tell you to find me?” DeWitt asked, suspicion still lacing his every word, his eyes glaring daggers at Diego. 

In a way, he reminded Diego of a weird mix between his own father and Al from the boxing gym. He was a guy that was clearly rough around the edges with a no-bullshit attitude. A man who expected respect and obedience from his crew at all times. In a way, Diego, who had always had a problem with authority, hated people like this and, in a way, he liked working with people like this. Sometimes it seemed easier to work with people like this - People who communicated clearly and openly what they expected of their workers. With Reginald, however, there had always been some sort of twist to his orders. On a surface level, his orders had always been clear and straight-forward but then he would always say something like _‘I expected you to think of this or that’_ while never allowing any of them to think for themselves or step out of line.

Diego took a deep breath and walked closer so that he wouldn't need to shout when he would repeat the same shit he had told John just minutes earlier. “I was looking for a job, actually. I am good with all kinds of shit and I’m a hard worker. I actually used to work as a custodian at a gym for a few years.”

DeWitt looked him up and down and Diego started to grow tired of this bullshit already. Sure, he was used to racism in a way but in 2019 people at least had not always been so open about it as they were in the 60s. Racism was frowned upon in his timeline but in this timeline, the people didn't feel the need to conceal it and saw nothing wrong with it. Not all of them, of course. He knew that there were good people out there as well. A naive part of him had expected circus folks to be a bit different than city folks in this aspect, though. DeWitt surprised him, at last, as he didn't make some stupid comment about his race as Diego would have expected. “You look like a strong guy. Sure, you’re hired. Why not? We always need helping hands.”

“Really?” It seemed too easy, too good to be true. In a way, he waited for the other shoe to drop. 

“Sure.”

“I don't have any references or shit…”

“I don't care,” DeWitt huffed. “John wouldn't have sent you to me if he didn't think you were a good fit. John is the best judge of character I have ever met in the fifty years on this planet. He needs one look at a person to decide if they are good or bad and if he would have thought you were bad, you would be rolling down the hill right now. Go find Ethel, can’t miss her - the brightest red hair you’ve ever seen - and ask her about a place to sleep. Assuming you don't have a tent in that backpack of yours.”

“Thanks, Man.”

“Don’t mention it.” DeWitt shrugged. “We were all down on our luck at some point.”

Diego felt like he got whiplash as he walked back out of the tent. He wouldn't have thought that it would be this easy to get a job at the circus. Maybe it shouldn't shock him as much as it did. Maybe he had judged DeWitt too harshly too quickly.

Finding Ethel was really not that hard, as it turned out. DeWitt was right about the hair too. What he didn't mention was the equally bright, braided, red beard the lady was sporting. She was currently stirring in a large pot under a canopy as Diego found her walking around the tent. This, Diego assumed, was the place where the circus folks ate their meals. Behind the big tent, he could see the caravans of the carney and various canopies with benches and tables underneath. This was their living area of sorts and Diego liked the vibe he got from it. He could see two young girls, barely ten he assumed, doing cartwheels on the grass - probably the kids of someone here. An older guy was sitting on a chair playing the guitar, a group of three women was doing laundry and hanging up the washed clothes on the clothing lines that were set up between the caravans. It was peaceful. Further back he could see the larger caravans with the animals and heard the roaring of a tiger in the distance.

“You must be Ethel” He announced his presence to the woman and she immediately stopped her humming to look up with a smile while she kept stirring the pot. “Mr. DeWitt told me to find you.”

“Ah,” she smiled and reached out a hand to shake his. Her grip was strong for a woman. Well, she had to be strong living a life like this, he assumed. “So he took in another stray, huh?” She chuckled. “What's your name, Dear?”

“Diego.”

“And you need a place to sleep too, Diego, hm?”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

“Well, we are all out of tents at the moment, I’m afraid,” she sighed. “We lost two during that big storm a week ago and we didn't have time yet to drive into town to get replacements. Do you mind sharing for a bit?”

“Not at all,” he shrugged. “Grew up with siblings.”

“Lovely!” Ethel laughed and looked around shortly before she called one of the little girls, Iris, over to stir the pot while she showed him around. Diego followed her like a puppy dog around the campsite. She showed him the outdoor showers, told him a little about the attractions of the circus, even allowed him a glimpse at the animals - circus and farm animals alike - before she finally stopped at a caravan. It wasn’t much of a looker, grey and simple. The one right next to it, however, drew Diego’s attention. There was a self-made purple canopy over the door, a bunch of pillows lying in the grass, fairy lights decorating the sides and the caravan itself had been painted with flowers and all kinds of weird symbols. Klaus would love this thing.

His attention was drawn back to the camper in front of him, however, as Ethel knocked at the door. A moment later, Diego heard a voice answer them. “Coming!” The gruff voice of a man announced, then heavy steps shook the caravan before the door opened. 

For a second, it was as if the world was standing still as Diego stared dumbfounded at the huge man he was supposed to share a caravan with. In the tiny door frame of the camper, his figure looked even more imposing. None of that mattered, though. It wasn’t his figure that was making Diego gape like a goldfish.

“Luther?” He breathed out as his brother’s blue eyes met his. 

**-End of Chapter 3-**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heads up: There won't be an update next week because I won't have time to proofread the next chapter in time. Not to worry, though - I am currently writing chapter 6. So, this story will continue <3 <3 <3  
> I hope I can upload chapter 4 by the end of next week though
> 
> Tell me what you think! It makes my heart go doki-doki


	4. Chapter 4

**October 1960**

On the third day of Klaus being at the circus, he was finally allowed to leave the tent on a crutch only to find himself in a completely different world. In his years on the streets of the City, he had seen a bunch of shit going on but he had never seen something like the world inside this circus. As he stepped into the sunlight in between the tents and the caravans, he felt like a child watching a fairy tale. 

There were all kinds of people running around the place. It was sunny, warm, and colorful. Someone was plucking the strings of a guitar, children were playing in the tall grass a little off to the side. He could hear the roar of a tiger or a lion. The world behind the big tent of the circus was almost mundane in its beauty. Clothes hanging from clothing lines between the caravans, a tent where two women were cooking food for everyone while others were doing the laundry and laughing about stories they told each other. At night, he was sure of this, all this would transform into a dreamscape. He had heard the laughter and the cheer from the audience those past two nights and tried to imagine what the show must be like.

Not too surprisingly, Klaus had always been fascinated with circuses and freaks and it was exciting to be here. He felt like Alice after she first glimpsed Wonderland.

“You know, Benjamin, we would fit right in here.” He murmured under his breath as he watched some kids do cartwheels. Performers in training. He wondered what it must be like to grow up in a circus - being always on the road, traveling across the country, performing in front of strangers as children, growing up in the limelight. Well, at least that last part he was familiar with.

“You can't do a cartwheel, though." Ben criticized him as he was so prone to. Being dead surely had to be boring if his brother had such fun being a negative Nancy all the time. 

“Of course, I can.”

“Nope. Last time you tried it, you almost broke your wrist.”

“Yeah, yeah and who egged me on to do it?”

“Diego," Ben huffed mercilessly. The mention of Diego made his heart ache. What if he would never see him again? The first man he had ever loved. His first crush, his first kiss, his first time having sex, his first boyfriend, his first breakup, his Diego. Would he ever be able to give himself permission to love another person? Sex was one thing but actual love was something else. “I told you right away that you couldn't do it.”

“Oh … right.” He found a picnic table where he could sit down slowly. Maneuvering around on a single crutch with a broken leg was not easy but he couldn't put a strain on his shoulder yet - not to mention his aching ribs. He should probably have stayed in bed a little while longer.

“You okay?”

“Maybe you were right about me not leaving the bed yet,” Klaus hummed. “It sucks. Being run over by a car sucks.”

“Klaus?” A voice suddenly called for his attention, small and timid and, as he turned his head around, he came face to face with a young girl with flaming red hair and loose-fitting clothes. She had a pretty face but right now it was red with shame. “I’m Susy,” The girl said. The name rang a bell but he couldn't put his finger on it. “I’m Ethel’s daughter and … well …”

“She ran you over.” Ben helped without her knowing it.

“Oh!” Klaus exclaimed and Susy flinched. “You were driving the car, right?” She looked as if he had slapped her across the face and he could see tears spring to her eyes. Not good. Probably a sore topic. Shit. “I mean … Hey, Susy, nice to meet you.”

“I wanted to apologize," Susy replied with a small voice. "Mom said to let you rest a little while longer but then I saw you sitting here and … I’m really sorry, Klaus. I didn't see you walking along the road. The rainfall had been so thick. I should have been more careful.”

“It wasn’t your fault,” He smiled and slapped the bench next to him so that Susy would sit down. She did, even though it seemed to make her even more nervous. “Also, I was wearing dark clothes and someone once told me it wasn’t a good idea to walk along a road during a storm.”

※※※※※※※

**September 1963**

The air was squeezed out of his lungs as his brother’s arms wrapped around him and lifted him off the ground with ease. He felt like a mouse being squeezed by an anaconda hell-bent on suffocating its prey. 

“Brother!” His eardrums seemed to burst at the sheer volume of Luther’s voice. Before Diego really grasped what was happening, Luther sat him back down on the ground and suddenly held him at arm's length as if he needed to have a proper look at him to understand that it really was Diego. Meanwhile, Ethel just stood by staring at them in confusion.

“I can't believe it!” Luther exclaimed. “Oh my God, it's really you! When did you arrive?”

“Six days ago,” Diego replied breathlessly. Now that he had time to look at Luther, he noticed that his brother was wearing a muscle shirt, having his hairy arms at full display, and seeming okay with it. Luther looked different. Not only because he wasn’t hiding his body away in some huge overcoat or turtleneck sweater. He looked like he got a bit of a tan going on, his eyes seemed brighter and he seemed, all in all, more comfortable with himself the way he stood there in front of Diego. A bitter, mean, cruel part of himself noted that a circus was the ideal place for someone like Luther. “You, however…”

“Oh, I landed months ago!” Luther grinned. “Luckily, I found this place.”

Ethel cleared her throat and thus reminded the brothers of her presence. “So,” She smiled as they looked at her like schoolboys caught talking during class. “I guess I don't need to introduce you boys then?”

“No!” Luther laughed. “No, he’s my brother!”

The furrow of her brows spoke of her confusion but then she wiped it all away. Surely, she had seen and heard weirder things. “Well, that makes everything easier then!” Ethel smiled. “In that case, you boys won’t have a problem sharing a camper until we get more tents or until Diego can afford his own camper, right?”

She didn't wait for an answer as she already walked away to give them space and go back to cooking. She only paused once to address them both. “Lunch is ready in half an hour, dears! You’ll need your strength. Diego-dear, you can just … make yourself at home. I bet Jimmy finds something to do for you after lunch.” 

They watched her leave and as she was out of earshot, Diego turned back to his brother.

“Who’s Jimmy?”

“Mr. DeWitt,” Luther huffed. “Come on in. Mi casa, su casa.” Luther allowed him to get into the grey caravan first. 

It was big enough for two people to walk around in it but Luther’s sheer size made everything a bit more difficult, of course. The vehicle held a small kitchenette, a small table that could be folded back to make room for another bed, and a narrow bench that doubled both as seating area and bed when the table would be gone. He also had a toilet installed in a narrow cabinet which Diego doubted Luther could fit in. No shower, though. Luther’s big bed was in the front of the caravan where the tow-bar was located on the outside. There were only a few personal items of his brother strewn across the camper. Pictures of the moon and the stars but the rest was very minimalistic in nature unlike Luther's room at the academy that had been crammed full with stuff. It was a tight fit but they would make do - somehow. 

“I never thought I would be so happy to see you, big guy.” Diego sighed as he slumped down on the sofa. His words were honest too. 

He and Luther hadn't been exactly on the best terms the day of the apocalypse. Hell, they hadn't been on the best terms ever since they had hit puberty, actually. For him, the day of the apocalypse had only been a couple of days ago but months had passed for Luther in the meantime and for Allison, it was even longer than that. A part of him was still angry that Luther had locked their sister up and treated her exactly like their father had treated her. He knew what it was like being locked up. Klaus knew too. Seeing his sister, his little sister, being locked up like this had struck a chord in him. It wasn’t easy swallowing down that anger now as he looked at Luther and how he seemed to be so happy at this place. Yet, his words were truthful. He was happy to see his brother. In a strange, childish way, he felt a lot safer now that he knew he wasn’t alone in the world anymore. He had Luther and Allison. Chances were good that Klaus, Five, and Vanya were alive as well somewhere out there, right?

“Yeah, me too.” Luther huffed. He extended a big hand to pat Diego’s right shoulder. It was awkward and clumsy and Luther through and through.

“So, tell me the story then,” Diego turned to look at him before Luther slowly sank down next to him. “How did you end up at the circus?” 

“Well … When I landed in Dallas … I started looking for all of you guys but I couldn't find anyone. I almost got hired by this mobster … Jack Ruby, as muscle, you know?” He shrugged. _Jack Ruby_ , that name sounded familiar but Diego had never really paid attention to history class. “I thought about it but I decided against it. This circus thing was kind of an accident … I went to see the show and … one thing led to another. I mean … I’m kinda perfect for the job. I’m the strongman now. It's fun.” He could feel that there were many things his brother refused to say, refused to tell him and even though that would make him suspicious under normal circumstances, he didn't feel the need right now. These were probably all things that Luther had to deal with himself. Things Diego couldn't quite understand, simmering underneath the surface of his brother’s conscience. 

“This is all so absurd,” Diego chuckled. “But I guess I shouldn't be surprised.”

“No.” A lopsided grin split his brother’s face. “No … right? This is just … another crazy Hargreeves thing. Ending up at a circus of all places.” There was something in Luther’s eyes, a hint of mischief, perhaps that Diego hadn't seen in a long time in his brother’s eyes. They might not have been close for most of their life but he knew his brother Luther well. Spaceboy had always been an open book for him and right now he couldn't quite read him. “So … how did _you_ end up here?”

“Well … I was looking for a job.” Diego shrugged. He wondered if he should talk about Allison. He didn't want to rub salt into open wounds. If he would talk about her, he needed to say that she was married and Luther would be devastated to hear that. He might be an asshole but he knew how deeply it would affect Luther. Then again, he couldn't just … keep it a secret that he knew where their sister was, right? 

“A job?” Luther echoed with raised brows as if it would be the most outlandish thing he had ever heard in his life - Diego Hargreeves trying to find a job. Oh, the irony.

“Yeah, that’s the thing you go to earn money, big boy.” Diego rolled his eyes. “Someone inspired me to start a new life now that we are stranded in the 1960s.”

“Someone?” There it was again, that confused puppy-dog look his brother had down to a T. 

“You sound like a parrot.” Diego sighed and dragged a hand through his hair. It was inevitable, he guessed. “Allison did.”

“You met Allison?” For some reason, Luther didn't sound surprised and he didn't look like he was about to storm off in the direction of Number Three like he usually would when her name would be said. Sometimes Diego wondered if he looked just as pathetic when Klaus was being mentioned. He really hoped he didn't. 

“Yeah … I … ran into her, so to say. Spent last night at her house with her and…”

“Her husband.” Luther interrupted. He didn't sound hurt but his tone was flat enough to underline that he was. He tried to play it down, though, like he used to after they all met back at the academy. 

“You already know?” Diego shot back in surprise, his eyes growing as large as saucers. “Wait? You guys had contact? Why didn't she tell me anything then?”

“No … No … I …” He rubbed his neck in discomfort - another habit his brother hadn't been able to shake since childhood. “After I landed, I ran around for a while, looking for everyone. Then I begged on the streets for enough money to go back home because I thought maybe you were all there, you know?”

“You went home?” He couldn't help it that his voice raised a few octaves at that and reminded him painfully of the good old days when his voice broke. “To _Dad_?”

“Yes. It was a shithsow. Wouldn’t recommend it.” He shrugged with a humorless little chuckle. “I spent hours on a bus, I reeked, I felt horrible and stumbled straight into one of Dad’s fancy cocktail parties - You know, like the ones he held when we were little and weren’t quite yet allowed to attend. Of course, he didn't recognize me, of course, he didn't believe me when I told him who I was. He kicked me out, made fun of me … so I went back to Dallas. I saw Allison in the streets … arm in arm with another man. She looked happy. So, I ducked into an alley so she wouldn't see me.”

“Geez, Man” He reached out a hand to pat his brother’s shoulder and Luther let him. Unlike Diego himself, Luther had always been a teddy, always receptive to being touched or hugged no matter by whom. The only person Diego allowed to touch or hug him was Klaus these days - and mainly because Klaus wouldn't take no for an answer and because as children they had always climbed into bed together in fear of the dark. Luther, on the other hand, had always craved physical contact with his siblings. One was the loneliest number, after all. It had taken Diego a long time to understand that. “I’m sorry.”

“It's okay,” Luther muttered. “I had time to … deal with it. And I mean … She was all alone and scared when she ended up in Dallas, I assume. Who knows how long she’s been here. It's like you said, she started a new life, built something new for herself. It couldn't have been easy for her … I mean … in this time and as … a black woman. I just hope she’s as happy as she looked that day.”

“She is,” Diego nodded. “And her husband … you would like him. He’s a good man. He treats her like a goddess.” Luther actually mustered a smile. In the end, his brother wanted Allison happy and safe and cherished. That was the most important thing. He knew that feeling. And yet, Diego wondered if he would be able to take it with so much grace as Luther did if he would find out that Klaus had found someone else in this timeline and was happy with that person. “So anyway, I came to the circus to work as a handyman of sorts, you know? I figured, maybe here I would get honest work without being racially profiled. The 60s suck, man.”

“Yes, they do,” Luther laughed. “I was arrested for loitering after I came back from the City.”

“What?”

“Yes! I just … I just sat on a bench in front of a corner store and got arrested because I was sitting there for too long - and probably because I looked like a homeless person. _Loitering_ , Diego. What the hell.” 

They shared a rare moment of laughter like they hadn't since childhood. It felt good. Talking to his ‘big brother’ like this. Not fighting with Luther for once. It was nice. Luther seemed different. Perhaps the altercation with their father had sobered Luther up, made him finally fully realize and understand what little worth their numbers held, in the end. The process that had begun the day Luther had found the unopened packages that he had sent down from the moon, had continued and found a conclusion the moment their father had come face to face with his Number One. 

“So … I think you should show Jimmy what you can do,” Luther said after a while. “I mean … the knives, of course. You could have a circus act of your own. You would make better money for the circus this way.”

“Shouldn't we lay low? I mean … with our powers. We wouldn't want to attract attention, right? I mean, Five would probably already have a field day with the fact that you went to Dad.” He made an undefined hand gesture in the general direction of the ceiling. “Butterfly effect - or something. You know? Tornado.”

“Fuck Five,” Luther grunted. It was the first time he heard his brother made such a crude comment about any of their siblings. Even as children when Luther had been angry and when they had fought, there had always been hints of warmth in his eyes for the rest of their bunch. It was because Luther saw himself as the oldest sibling, he assumed. “He got us all stranded here. I don't care what he has to say - if the little weasel is still alive, that is.”

“We should try to bury him in sand again if he ever shows up.”

“Didn’t work last time, won’t work this time.”

“Not with this attitude it won’t.” Diego huffed. “But yeah ... maybe you’re right. Maybe I should have an act. What's life like here in the circus?”

“Oh … you will love it.”

※※※※※※※

He was sweating buckets as he was moving around the camp helping the others out to repair a few of the booths. A few days before Diego had landed in Dallas, a storm had hit the town and the circus quite badly and damaged some of the equipment and the booths that now needed to be restored so that the circus could resume their shows. It was tiring work in the afternoon heat of the late summer in the middle of Texas but it was good and honest work and Diego had always liked working with his hands and helping others. Plus, it gave him the opportunity to meet everyone around the circus and get to know the people he would be living and working alongside from now on. Jimmy seemed pleased with his work as he watched him fix up the prize counter and rearrange the prizes neatly on the shelves.

Klaus would love this place. He was sure of that. He would enjoy the hustle and bustle. He would thrive in the unconventionality of it all. Here at the circus, it seemed like, for once, even the Hargreeves could be themselves without being judged. 

Diego had always been able to make new acquaintances easily and quickly. It was a miracle considering his upbringing but he had always been open when he had met new people - not in the same way open that Klaus was or open in the way people would expect, but open regardless, friendly, even. Sometimes it took him a while to warm up to someone but meeting new people and connecting to others had been vital after leaving the academy. If he hadn't learned that skill, he wouldn't have met Al and he really didn't know where he would have ended up then.

The young girls at the circus looked at him with blatant curiosity that would make other men cocky. Diego, however, just chuckled as he got aware of the attention while he was working shirtless in the smoldering September heat. He knew that he was good looking. He knew that he had a great body. He didn't quite bask in the attention like Klaus would but he didn't mind it. If Klaus would be here right now, he would make stupid comments and jokes, he would manage that Diego would hurt himself during his work just because of one of his jokes or because he would make a particularly raunchy remark. 

He missed hearing his voice. He missed his stupid jokes. He missed Klaus’ soft lips on his. He missed trailing his fingers down the curve of his spine. He missed peppering kisses down the inside of his thighs. He missed his laughter. He even missed his god-awful attitude. It had only been six days since he had last spoken to Klaus and yet his whole entire being ached for Number Four’s presence. The thought that he might be dead was devastating to him - so, he didn't entertain it. Klaus could impossibly be dead. How could he be dead without Diego noticing it, after all? There would have been a shift in the universe, a change in how the world was turning, right? He would have been thrown off balance. Klaus wouldn't just be gone without him knowing, without him feeling it. He was out there somewhere. He had to be out there somewhere. 

“So,” One of the girls, Amy, addressed him as he was taking care of a broken shower later in the day. Most of the performers were getting ready for the show now in their caravans. The showers were outside and blocked from view only by a wooden fence and separated into four narrow cubicles. There really wasn’t that much privacy going on. Luther had earlier explained to him that there used to be a summer camp on the grounds the circus was set up and that was really the only reason why they had electricity and running water so far out of town. Apparently, the showers were a relic from that time. “Luther is your brother?”

“News spread fast around here, huh?” He replied without looking at her and how she leaned against the side of the fence while he worked. 

Amy was one of the girls who had deemed it necessary to change into a bit more revealing clothes since they’ve seen Diego during lunch. Klaus would have a field day with that. One of the straps of her top had fallen off her shoulder and was resting on her elbow now, her hair that she had worn in a ponytail before was now open and loose around her face. She had even applied some red lipstick. She couldn't be older than seventeen and was probably at that age now where she would do anything to get the attention of the guy she liked. 

“Sure,” She smiled and started twirling a lock of blonde hair around her finger. “How is he your brother, though?”

“We’re adopted,” Diego shrugged and Amy’s blue eyes almost bugged out of her head. “Long story.” He added with a chuckle. “We haven’t seen each other in a while. I didn't know he was working for this circus.”

“Yeah … Luther is a sweetheart,” Amy smiled and her cheeks turned pink. “He is like a teddy. A month ago a fella became a bit intrusive when Janet the snake lady was done with her show but Luther was there and protected her before that guy could do anything to her. It's nice having him around. We all … I mean … us girls … we feel safer knowing that he’s around.”

“He has that effect on people.” Diego laughed. “Must be something about being the oldest sibling.”

“Oh, I didn't know that.” Her eyes became even more dreamy as he said that. “So … Diego … are you … seeing someone or…”

“Uhm,” _Yeah, smart move, Hargreeves._ He didn't quite know how to react to that at first. He was a thirty-year-old man and a teenager was outright flirting with him. That was not that much of a surprise, especially not in this rather liberal environment. Still, it made him uncomfortable. He thought about Klaus and his chest ached. As long as he didn't know where Klaus was or if he was even still alive, he would never be able to look at anyone in that manner. “Yeah, I am. It's complicated though.”

“You love her?” He cringed a little at the question, still, the answer came easy.

“Yes.” He said right away. “Love of my life.”

“But it's complicated? That doesn't sound good.”

“Everything in life is complicated.” He smirked. “You’ll see when you are my age.”

“So where is she then?”

“Diego!” His brother’s voice called out. _Thank fucking God_. He turned his head just enough to see Luther waving him over. Good that he was done with the shower anyway. 

“Sorry, got to go.” He quickly replied as he grabbed his tools and hurried to meet his brother even though it probably looked like he was running away from a horny teenager. He had never been more thankful to see Luther. Having to lie to some teenage girl on his first day here was just awkward.

“Jimmy wants to speak to you about your gig.”

“About the knife thing?”

“Yeah!” Luther grinned widely and for a moment, he looked like a little boy again with his dimples popping and the blue of his eyes sparkling. He looked young and fresh as he stood in the afternoon sun like this. He slowly started to get aware that he had never seen his brother with such eyes. Maybe because Luther had never looked like this or because he had never taken the time to pay his big brother much attention. 

“So what did you tell him?” Diego asked as he followed Luther’s lead - without squabbling for once. 

“That you are very good at throwing knives and that I think you would be a good addition to the team.”

“And he believed you just like that?”

“Why wouldn't he?” Luther huffed in response as if they had grown up in an environment that would have instilled any kind of confidence in the goodness of other people. He answered his brother’s optimism with a carefully raised brow. 

He didn't know what it was about this place or about Luther but it just seemed too good to be true. Maybe he shouldn't be this pessimistic about it but he had not really made the experience that everything would just turn out fine. If something seemed too good to be true it usually wasn’t. Luther seemed happy here, yes, but … his brother had been brainwashed his entire life, just like the rest of them had been. His brother had devoted his entire life to a man who had willingly accepted that he might be sending his son to his death, then made a monster out of him after the inevitable had happened, and disposed of his Frankenstein creature on the moon like he was garbage to call him back if he would have found a use for him again. And Luther had been loyal to his father up until the point where the truth had laughed him straight in the face in the form of all those unopened packages, in the form of realizing that he had spent four years on the moon for nothing. In other words, Luther was desperate to find a place where he was accepted, where hit fit in, where he was liked, and could he himself. He was a man desperate to follow orders, a leader in desperate need of someone telling him what to do. 

Knowing his brother, Luther would turn a blind eye to quite a bit of messed up shit if he thought that he had found people or a place where he could be himself without judgment. 

Jimmy was at the front of the circus telling people what to do and shooing them around much like Reginald used to. The preparations for the show in a couple of hours were on its height. The artists were currently in their trailers - except Luther - and got dressed while the others took care of everything else. Soon the sun would start to set and then the lights around the circus would turn on, the music would start, and the people would flock towards the big tent under a starry sky. 

“Ah, Diego!” Jimmy crowed as he saw the Hargreeves brothers approach. Luther patted him on the back and left him, mumbling something about having to get dressed. Jimmy quickly waved him over. He was already wearing his ringmaster costume and a very tall top hat. It all looked all a little strange on a man like Jimmy DeWitt. “Your brother told me about your _special talent_! How about you demonstrate it for me real quick?”

DeWitt gestured towards a crudely put together target that he had set up against a tree behind the prize counter. It was, in a strange way, unsurprising, that Jimmy handed him a proper knife. It was too heavy to be thrown, though - by normal people - the weight awkward in his hand, the blade unbalanced by the thickness of the steel. Yet, without moving closer to the target or even turning his body fully towards it, he threw it and hit the mark without looking at the target. 

Jimmy was speechless for a moment or two before he spluttered back to life. “You are hired!” He cheered. “You are very, _very_ hired!” He laughed as he smacked Diego’s back. “But tonight you are going to watch the show and call it a day. Tomorrow, we’ll see about your act.”

Diego watched how Jimmy walked back to the tent, muttering under his breath about Diego and the thing he just did. He couldn't help the stupid grin spreading all over his face at that. He felt reminded of Al, for some reason. And if a tiny part of him felt uneasy to become a circus performer because of the prospect of having to actually perform in front of a crowd like he used to as a child, he swallowed down that nagging little voice and decided to take a quick shower before the show. 

As he later sat in the last row inside the big tent and watched the show, he felt like a little boy again. The popcorn smelled a lot better than that one time he went to the circus with Eudora, the roasted almonds tasted heavenly and were the right amount of sugary sweet. The show too was much better than what he remembered seeing with Eudora and the benches weren’t sticky in the slightest. 

The people around him watched the show with glowing eyes and excited cheers, the children were mesmerized by the acrobats and the clown, the adults afraid of the tiger. Diego hated clowns. It helped that he had seen Tipsy the clown without his makeup earlier during lunch where he had played with the kids of the circus. The acrobats were fantastic and Luther’s act made him laugh. It was goofy and fun the way he proved his strength to the audience while Diego knew how much he was holding back to not accidentally show his true powers. Luther, however, who once enjoyed the limelight as a child superhero, seemed happy and right in his element on stage as he was easily lifting a whole family sitting on a bench.

“And now for the moment you have all been waiting for,” Jimmy announced after Luther’s act. The lights dimmed down dramatically and a purple glow filled the tent. “the one, the only, the magnificent _Séance_!”

His head jerked up at that while people were clapping and talking in hushed, yet excited whispers amongst each other. He didn't know why but his chest clenched and he felt like he was getting a heart attack. It was probably just a coincidence. Luther would have said something otherwise. Right? The figure that emerged from the shadows, however, was tall and lanky and the man’s smug grin stole his breath away. He was fifteen again, seeing Klaus for the first time as this ethereal being that barged into his mind and refused to stop occupying his brain or heart.

He didn't know if Klaus had spotted him yet. He was probably invisible to the man on stage and yet, as Klaus’ green eyes wandered over the crowd, for just a second, Diego was sure that his eyes stopped on him.

**-End of Chapter 4-**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tell me what you think! It makes my heart go doki-doki


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Smut ahead

**December 1960**

As Klaus’ injuries slowly started to heal and as he got to move around the circus grounds a little more, he too started to get to know the people a little more. Ben had warned him at one point. He shouldn't overdo it with his act as the poor injured guy who got hurt by one of the carnie folk and further prey on their kindness and guilt over the accident. Sure, maybe he had laid it on a bit thick those past two months. Ethel was an angel and Susy, her daughter, too eager to make up for what she did as for Klaus not to take the help and the little gifts they would present him with - like that awesome new linen tunic he wore right now. 

He was living like a goddamn chihuahua in the household of some 2010 It-girl. He was fucking Tinkerbell and the circus was Paris Hilton. In other words, he was living his best life. Ethel had made him a home in one of the abandoned caravans and filled it up with pillows and blankets to make it comfortable for him. She and some of the other women did bend over backward for him. He just had to sneeze for them to come running and help him out or bring him whatever he wanted.

“You don't even like watermelon,” Ben commented dryly as Klaus sat in the shade of a tree on a picnic blanket and ate a slice of watermelon while the rest of the circus around him was working their asses off in the sun. It wasn’t exactly hot out in Dallas in the early days of December 1960 but way hotter than Klaus was used to from growing up in the city - at least today as the sun was giving a last hoorah shining her ass off. He made a point of propping up his broken leg on a mountain of pillows to underline the fact that he was still hurt even now two months later. Well, at least the cast was off now and he knew that the circus soon would need to start moving to a warmer climate again. They would probably move to Arizona for the winter months and Klaus was tempted to follow. 

“That's not the point, Ben,” He murmured as he glanced over at his dead brother who was sitting in the dead grass beside him. “The point is that I can have watermelon if I want some because those lovely people here will do everything for me out of guilt.”

“Until they have enough of you.”

“Well, I will be long gone by that point.”

“You say that with such confidence,” Ben said with a roll of his eyes. “But what if they won’t let you go? Ever thought of that?”

“What do you mean?” He scoffed in response. Ben had always been such a paranoid fuck. “This is not some fucking cult or … I don't know … evil conspiracy thingy. Of course, they will let me go as soon as I want to leave.”

“They talk about you as if you are going to stay forever, though. I heard Ethel and Jimmy talk the other day. They are already making plans for you.”

“They like me.”

“No … No, I think it's something else,” Ben murmured, his brows knitted together in worry like only Ben could muster. Even as a child he had looked like a constipated grandpa when he would get that look on his face. “Klaus, really … I’m starting to get a bad feeling here.”

“Oh come on, Benjamin. They are just nice!” He threw his hands in the air to emphasize his point. “I mean, I could've died and they want to be hospitable to me and make sure I’m fine before I leave so that I won’t send the police their way or something. It's all good. They are good people.”

“Being nice and hospitable is one thing, Klaus. Keeping you around for two months even though you could be on your merry way since at least four weeks ago, is another thing.”

“They are _thorough_.”

“They are shady!”

“ _You_ are shady!”

“You are shady!”

“That's not new.” 

“Listen … all I’m saying is that you should be careful. You tend to be too trusting.” He snorted again but Ben soldiered on regardless. “Do I have to remind you of your numerous ex-boyfriends? Except for Diego, they were all bad news, right? And you trusted them all at one point only to realize what monsters they were. You tend to trust people that are nice to you because you are not used to being treated nicely by anyone who’s not Diego. You always want to believe in the good in people and that there are actually good people out there but what if those folks here have other plans for you?”

“And what are those, Ben? You think they feed me to their tiger?” 

“I don't know.” Ben sounded serious now and Klaus couldn't help the heavy feeling in the pit of his stomach as he had to admit to himself that Ben might be right. “Just be careful. This time, there is no one out there who could help you. You are all on your own now.”

※※※※※※※

**September 1963**

It seemed an eternity since he had last taken a breath as he sat there with his mouth hanging open, staring like a complete fucking dumbass at the stage where Klaus was currently _floating_. _He was floating. Floating!_ Since when did Number Four _float_? But he was! He was just levitating sitting cross-legged in the air as if it was nothing and Diego could not see any wires or ropes! 

It was hard for him to even focus on what was going on. The only thing he could focus on was Klaus’ face, the smug grin, the sparkling green eyes, the ridiculous outfit he was wearing, his hair nicely tousled as he slowly got back down to the ground and landed gracefully on naked feet. The crowd exploded in amazed cheer as nobody seemed to be able to figure out the trick. Klaus took an overly exaggerated bow, thoroughly enjoying the praise and attention.

“And now, Ladies and Gentleman” Klaus’ voice suddenly filled the tent. He had always had a flair for the dramatic and it wasn’t a surprise that he was thriving now in the center of the attention of all those people as he spread his arms wide. “I have a message from beyond the veil.”

The crowd erupted into excited noises again as Klaus started getting closer to the first row, walking along the curve around the center like a tiger in a cage. Diego noticed that there were around twenty people sitting in the first row that were wearing similar clothes to Klaus’ white and blue attire. They looked completely in awe of the Séance as they tried to catch the scarf he was loosely wearing around his hips. One of the women down there succeeded and kissed the fabric with such reverence as if Klaus was the pope or Jesus reborn. It looked strange, it looked almost a little frightening to him - as if they saw something in Klaus that he wasn’t. It didn't escape his attention how they seemed to stare at Klaus with complete reverence - as if he held all the answers of the universe. 

What happened next, gave an explanation for all of this madness. “I have a message for Mitchell Kean.” The crowd became completely silent. Klaus’ voice had gotten marginally deeper than his usual pitch but it didn't lessen the effect it had as he stared solemnly into the crowd with such intensity as if he could read each and every mind inside the tent. “Mitchell, would you please get up.” 

First, nothing happened and Diego almost expected Klaus to bullshit the crowd but then, very slowly, almost tentatively, a young man got up from his seat on the bench in the row right before Diego. He couldn't see his face but he was sure that he looked nervous - if his hands that were fidgeting with his shirt were anything to go by. “There you are.” Klaus smiled warmly. “I have a message from your mother Nadine.” The man in front of him stiffened noticeably. “She says: It's okay.” Confused murmurs started to fill the tent and Diego briefly noticed how Jimmy made a gesture towards Klaus to go on from the sidelines. Weird. “She says that she knew all along, Mitch. And that she’s okay with it. She wants you to be happy - nothing more than this.”

Again, Jimmy made a gesture but Klaus didn't react to it. He was too far away but he thought that Jimmy looked a little angry. After Mitchell sat down, Klaus’ little show continued in much the same way for another five minutes. He picked random people out of the crowd and delivered messages from their dead loved ones to them. With every new person, Diego noticed how Klaus seemed to get weaker and more tired. Others probably wouldn't notice it but Diego had seen it before when Reginald had forced Klaus to commune with spirit after spirit or conjure whole groups of people. 

Diego snuck out of the tent right as Klaus said his goodbyes to the crowd. He intended to catch Klaus before anyone else could ruin the moment. His heart was beating so hard against his ribcage that he was sure his ribs would break. However, as he walked around the tent, he heard voices and one of them was very clearly that of Klaus. He would recognize his voice in a sea of thousands. His heart was still beating faster every time he heard it.

“What was all that about, Klaus?” It sounded like Jimmy but over the music and the sounds from the circus, he couldn't be sure. “Where was the _drama_? We talked about that!”

“I’m not going to out someone in front of a fucking crowd in a circus, Jimmy!” Klaus shot back. “Are you fucking crazy?”

“It's his own fault when something like this would happen.” Jimmy scoffed. “Poor life choices hold consequences, you know that yourself, don't you? Next time, I want drama, Klaus. Drama sells tickets. Next time, I want you to manifest, not just talk.”

Now he was curious. So Jimmy knew about Klaus’ powers. What the hell was going on here? He waited until he heard the footfalls of the man leave Klaus. In fact, two minutes later, he heard Jimmy’s voice boom inside the tent again. Slowly and as silently as he could, he snuck closer to the back exit of the tent. He could see Klaus’ shadow on the grass and then, finally, there he was, just feet away from Diego staring into the night. For the first time in what seemed an eternity, he could take it all in, the ridiculous white harms pants, the blue and white coat, the necklaces dangling around his thin neck, the bare chest. Klaus. _His_ Klaus. Just for a second, the world stood still. There was no sound in the world, no air moving the leaves in the trees, no other souls existing in this realm but he and Klaus as the stars shone down on them.

“Hey,” He said to gain Klaus’ attention and pull him back from whatever faraway place his mind had wandered to. “We’re not socks but I think we’d make a great pair.”

“Diego” Klaus’ voice was nothing but a whisper as his eyes fell on him. So maybe Klaus really hadn't seen him inside that tent. He saw him now, however. 

“Hey, Babe.” He grinned and took another step towards him. It wasn’t necessary for him to bridge the distance, though, as Klaus already flung himself at him, jumping up to throw his arms and legs around Diego before their mouths smashed together like in some fucking cheesy rom-com their sister would star in. Come to think of it, either Klaus learned this maneuver from Allison’s movies or Allison learned it from Klaus. 

As they kissed it felt like he needed it to survive and he couldn't deny the weight that fell off his shoulders as he wrapped his arms around Klaus to stabilize him. Their lips slotted together as if they were meant for it. Until now, until he had seen him standing there - fuck, until Klaus had kissed him - he hadn't realized the underlying fear living inside of him that Klaus might have moved on from him. Now, however, the universe shifted back into balance. They were back together and hopefully there wouldn't be another apocalypse ripping them apart again anytime soon.

“You’re alive,” Klaus whispered against his mouth. He could feel something wet on his face and it took Diego a moment to become aware that Klaus was actually crying as the other man cupped his face as if he was something precious. “You’re alive!” He repeated breathlessly and started planting kisses all over Diego’s face. 

“Guys.” The sound of another voice startled Diego back into reality and made Klaus almost jump in surprise. Klaus was still holding onto his face as Diego tried to move his head enough to see who had caught them. Their brother stood a few feet away from them, grinning sheepishly as Diego leveled him with a glare. “The show is almost over. You should …. Uhm ... You know.” He gave Klaus a pointed look and to Diego’s surprise, Klaus nodded and slowly let go of Diego again. Suddenly, Klaus seemed a bit closed off. Klaus had never been shy about his sexuality, he had never made a big deal out of it. And they … Well, they had all known that he wasn’t straight from the start. 

“It's the '60s,” Klaus muttered as a way of explaining his reaction as he took a step back and lowered his eyes to the ground. He lazily patted Diego’s chest and all he wanted to do was take his hand and kiss him again. Slowly, however, understanding dawned on him. In the half-light of the lamps and torches outside it was hard to see but he could see a couple of tiny scars on Klaus’ face that hadn't been there before. Slowly, he started to realize that for Klaus a lot more time had passed than for him and he had experienced a whole world of new things Diego had no idea about. 

“Gotcha,” Diego replied softly. And yet he still grasped Klaus’ hand and pressed a kiss to his knuckles before he let go of it. 

“We need to go back on stage,” Luther informed Klaus with a smile and patted Diego’s shoulder as he walked past him. Oh, he was so fucking dead. He hoped that Luther understood how dead he was just by the look Diego gave him. He had no choice but to let Klaus leave even though he never wanted to let go of him again. The moment Klaus slipped from his grasp, he felt cold and out of breath for a second.

At least, Diego thought, now he knew who that weirdly extravagant caravan belonged to and thus where he would find Klaus later. He decided to go back to the front of the circus and enjoy the carnival. He was drawn to the throwing stall as he caught sight of one of the plushies he had set up personally earlier today. It was a large tiger - the most cliche thing he had ever seen and he was going to have it. The man in the booth gave him a funny look as Diego asked him if he could try it.

“It's an inside joke,” Diego replied with a huff as he gestured towards the tiger and handed Geoff three dollars which the man immediately shoved into the back pocket of his jeans. “Between me and my brother.” Surely, Geoff thought he meant Luther and he didn't ask further questions, strangely enough. Instead, he handed Diego the four baseballs and stepped out of the way. Of course, Diego hit his target every time and soon he walked away with an oversized, very soft, plush tiger. As he noticed the people walking out of the big tent and flocking towards the booths and the other attractions, Diego walked back around the big tent. He saw Luther on his way to the front where he would allow people to compete against him as part of his strongman act. Oh, those poor souls. 

“You!” Diego addressed his brother and pointed one accusing finger at him. Luther immediately put up his hands in surrender with a grin. 

“Sorry!” He laughed. “Sorry! I just thought it would be a nice surprise if you would see him during his show! Klaus already gave me an earful just now!”

“Next time you keep such a secret, I’m gonna piss in your breakfast, brother.”

Luther had the audacity to grin - which only widened as he pointed at the plush in Diego’s arms. “Is that for Klaus?”

“Of course, it is,” He shot back with a grunt. “Or did you think I’m gonna camp out on your sofa and need a plushy to cuddle with?”

“Well, actually I doubt that you want to camp out at my place at all now that you know Klaus is here.”

Well, maybe his ‘big brother’ was not nearly as dumb as people said he was. However, now that the initial shock had waned off a little and his brain started to fully come to terms with the fact that he was at last reunited with the man he loved again, he remembered what he had heard earlier - the conversation between Jimmy and Klaus. So far, Jimmy had seemed to be a decent guy. Decent enough to give someone like Diego a chance without even really knowing him. Well, people in this time period seemed inherently more trusting than they were in 2019. Well, the year was 1963, after all. Kennedy had not yet been assassinated, the serial killer boom that would ravage the nation was still around twenty years in the future as well as the ‘milk-carton-epidemic’. The people in this year, despite the wars they had lived through and were still about to experience, were oblivious to the evil lurking about in their midst. This would all change in just a couple of years and then people like Diego Hargreeves would not get a chance at a random circus anymore because people would look at him with even greater suspicion than they already did now. 

“Hey … about Klaus’ show,'' Diego turned to his brother again just as Luther started walking again. He knew that he wouldn't get a proper answer out of Klaus if he would ask him about the argument he had witnessed. That was just how Klaus was - how he had always been. Sure, maybe he told Diego more than he would tell anyone else, but in the end, he still kept many secrets and Diego harbored no illusions about that. And when it came to those kinds of secrets, the only way forward was patience. He knew that better than anyone else. “I heard Jimmy talk to him afterward. He sounded angry. He said something about Klaus manifesting someone next time. Does he…”

“He knows about Klaus’ powers, yes.” He allowed a shrug to follow his words as if it meant nothing as if it wasn’t a huge bomb to drop on anyone. If Five would be here, he would have a field day with that news. It seemed a miracle that the FBI or the CIA hadn't gotten involved yet since Klaus seemed to so openly advertise his powers. “I didn't say anything about mine so far. But Klaus had been here far longer than I. You better ask him yourself, though. I didn't know he was here when I first heard about this circus.” He felt like Luther wasn’t telling him the whole story but he didn't think that Luther was going to open up right here on the spot either. “I guess you’ll find him in his caravan now. He never walks around after the show. It's too draining for him. The show, I mean. Sometimes he needs an entire day to recharge. That’s why he wasn't around all day too. He was sleeping the entire day.”

Diego nodded and started walking towards the caravans again. Luther moved on with heavy footsteps and dove right back into the noise, the laughter, and the music while Diego chose the quietude of the campsite instead. His worry, however, only grew after Luther’s words. Klaus shouldn't be drained so completely of his energy just by the show he put on every night. The campsite was desolated for the most part. The majority of the younger children were already fast asleep in their caravans while the adults and teens were flocking across the carnival. In Klaus’ caravan, the lights were on as he arrived and the door was ajar as if Klaus was already expecting him. For some odd reason, he started to get a bit nervous as he approached the open door.

“It's okay!” He heard Klaus’ voice from inside and paused for a second. Was there someone else in there with him? “Ben, get out of my ass, it's fine. _I’m_ fine! Yeah … nobody asked you. Go haunt Luther or something! It's none of your business, Ben!” 

_Ben_. It was like yesterday that Klaus had conjured their dead brother in a last-ditch effort to save their family - save _him_ \- inside the Icarus Theater while Vanya had gone berserk on them at the same time a group of shooters had tried to kill them. Well, for Diego, it had only been a couple of days ago. Some of his wounds that he had earned by fighting Cha-Cha had still not healed completely. To him, all of this stuff was still so fresh that it was weird to think that for Klaus it all happened months, maybe years ago. He didn't even know how long Klaus had been in the ‘60s already, after all. Knowing that Ben was here, though, eased his mind a little. At least Klaus hadn't been alone then. At last, Diego took a deep breath before he climbed the stairs to enter Klaus caravan. There was a curtain made out of beads in front of the door which Diego had to gently push to the side and thus alert the duo inside of his presence as the beads clacked together quietly.

“Shut your piehole, Ben!” He called out to his dead brother who was apparently bitching and moaning to Klaus even though Diego couldn't see him. Not that Ben wouldn't make valid points usually. He was mostly right when he was bitching to Klaus, at least if he was still the same Ben that Diego had known before he died. Klaus whirled around to look at him and grinned in response to his words. “And now, get out, haunt Luther’s ass. No kids allowed.”

Klaus laughed, probably at something Ben had said and a second later, Diego felt like a gust of wind brush past him before the door fell shut behind Diego. Klaus’ caravan was a bit more spacious than Luther’s - but maybe it just seemed like it because Klaus didn't have Luther’s hulking presence and didn't fill up the room as Luther would. It was overly decorated with fairy lights, candles, and pillows, just like his room at the academy. Behind Klaus, in the back of the caravan, he could see the bed, covered in black silk sheets. It smelled of patchouli incense and something sweet that Diego couldn't quite put his finger on. It wasn’t weed - at least. The inside of Klaus’ caravan, as much as the outside, told Diego clearly how much Klaus had embraced this time period and his new life as a hippie. No surprise there. 

“So he’s now playing poltergeist, huh?”

“He tries to,” Klaus replied and added a theatrically exasperated sigh to drive his point home. “He’s at that special age now when ghosts get antsy and rebellious, you know? Ghostly puberty. What's up with that tiger?”

“It's for you.”

“For me?”

“So you always have a tiger in your bed - even when I’m not around.”

“Oh my God, you are so fucking corny!” Klaus laughed. The sound was like music to his ears, melodic and deep and rich. It hit him so deeply that he thought his heart might shatter at the sound as the realization struck him how much time they had wasted with petty drama and jealousy. They should have never broken up. He still woke up in cold sweat sometimes, searching the mattress next to him for a warm body only to find a crudely written note telling him goodbye. The end had not been a surprise. It had announced its arrival with trumpets and thunder for months before it had happened. A childish teenage romance gone bad and both of them were equally to blame for it, in the end. Back then he hadn't understood that, of course. Back then he had only known fury and heartbreak. 

“You like it though?” He asked with a wiggle of his brows, hoping he might startle another laugh out of the man he loved.

“I love it,” Klaus huffed as he gently took the tiger out of Diego’s arms and bridged the distance between them to steal a kiss from his lips. “So, is this your version of a mating dance then?”

“Well, does it work?” Diego huffed against those sinful lips. Right now nothing seemed to matter, not the time that had passed for Klaus, not the apocalypse, not why he was here or what was going on. They were together again, reunited and Diego finally had Klaus in his arms again. That was more he could have hoped for. Just earlier today he had still been living with the fear that Klaus might be dead, after all. 

“Yes.” Klaus then grinned, threw the tiger onto his sofa, and dragged Diego into the back of the caravan towards the bed. He didn't need to be asked twice to follow him. Between kisses, he was already pulling his sweatshirt over his head and threw it to the ground, as Klaus hastily brushed off that ridiculous coat. In retrospect, he wouldn't even be able to tell how they got onto the bed and stripped out of their clothes. It was all a mess, a tangle of limbs and open-mouthed, hungry kisses. Suddenly, he was on his back on Klaus’ heavenly soft, plush bed only in his boxer shorts. 

Klaus was already between his legs, trailing kisses down his abdomen, biting the soft flesh he found there, dragging his blunt nails down his sides, and following the trail of dark hair leading from his belly button down into his shorts towards pleasure. He couldn't help but bite his lips to stifle a moan as he watched helplessly how Klaus hooked his fingers under the waistband of his shorts and slowly, painstakingly slowly, revealed more of his skin inch for inch until he was finally freed from the constricting cage of fabric around his already painfully hard cock. It had never taken much for Klaus to make him all hot and bothered like this - making their teenage years at the academy a nightmare. 

Klaus looked perfect the way he was kneeling between his legs after he had finally gotten rid of Diego’s boxershorts once and for all, dragging them down his legs and throwing them over his shoulder as if he held a personal grudge against them. His eyes were slowly trailing back up Diego’s body as if he needed to consign it all to memory before their eyes met again. “I missed you,” Klaus murmured quietly before he dragged his tongue over his aching flesh out of nowhere, startling a gasp from Diego’s throat. “I missed you so fucking much.”

He watched, mesmerized, how Klaus took the tip into his mouth, closing his eyes in a way that made him look painfully seductive. It was hard to keep his hands to himself. It was hard for him to not grab Klaus’ hair and push him down further onto himself. He wanted to enjoy this, wanted to savor the moment of their reunion. He only allowed an encouraging moan to slip out as Klaus moved his lips further down, humming around his girth. It was like it used to be. It felt exactly like it used to feel - as if no time at all had passed between them. 

“Let me take care of you.” Klaus mouthed against his cock as he allowed it to slip out of his mouth just to catch his breath before he took it completely back in, taking it so deep into his mouth and throat that Diego was sure he would choke on it soon. At last, he allowed his fingers to sneak into Klaus’ hair, grabbing and tugging on it as Klaus dragged his tongue with expert ease over the flesh of his shaft as he allowed his cock to slip out again - not completely though. He felt hypnotized watching how Klaus closed his lips around the head again, hollowing his cheeks, sucking and driving his tongue over the slit until Diego was quivering beneath him.

“Klaus!” He warned but all it got him was a Cheshire grin in return - as much as that was possible with his cock stuffed down his lover’s throat. “Come up here, babe.” With that same grin still plastered onto his face, Klaus dragged his tongue painfully slowly across the head of his cock before Diego all but dragged him back up and threw Klaus onto the mattress. “As much as I like to see you like this, I can't wait any longer.”

Klaus laughed as he stole another hungry kiss from his mouth, desperate for the taste of the other man, desperate to show Klaus how much he had missed him and how much he truly needed him. There was nothing more intoxicating to Diego than having that skin on skin contact with the man he loved. His hands were already all over his lover’s body, tracing his ribs - not protruding as much as he remembered. Good. He had put on some weight and was no longer but a feather in the wind. Even after so many years of them being apart, he still knew where to touch Klaus to illicit the most beautiful sounds out of Number Four’s throat. His body was a well-studied map to Diego, as he remembered their first awkward nights together, huddled together under his blanket in a too narrow bed, hiding away from the cameras and their father’s all-seeing eyes. It didn't take much effort for him to drive Klaus mad with lust even before he had claimed his body as his again, even though his cock was aching for the moment they would melt into one single being.

Quickly, Klaus found the lube he kept near his bed and thrust it at Diego. Where he had gotten this stuff in this time period was beyond Diego without Klaus raising suspicion but he wasn't about to question him right now. Not why he kept it next to his bed nor how he had gotten it - despite the jealous nagging voice in the back of his mind. Instead, he started fumbling with the lid before coating his fingers with the lube. 

Klaus moaned with unfiltered arousal when Diego finally breached him with a slick finger, then two, carefully working his way inside. He was patient in his lust - at least outwardly so. He knew it made Klaus crazy when he would take his time. Three fingers in had Klaus gripping and tearing at the sheets of his plush bed.

Diego’s free hand gripped him by the base of his shaft. The flesh beneath his fingers was hot as Klaus moaned after a deft twisting of Diego’s wrist. Diego slowed the steady thrusts of his fingers and eased them completely inside to just stroke in short circles over the swell of Klaus' prostate. If Klaus wouldn't have so much experience, he would probably lose it right now. Klaus’ cheeks were burning bright red, sweat was clinging to his curls and he was biting his bottom lip to stifle the sounds that were clearly trapped inside his throat. Diego took great pride in the fact that he could mess him up so easily. That was what distinguished him from all the other guys Klaus had been with in the past - those guys who had just taken pleasure from him and never giving anything in return.

“Diego!” Klaus finally moaned, grinding against his fingers, more a warning than anything else - a sign of impatience. “Just fuck me already!”

Klaus kept grinding against his fingers as Diego was attending to all the sensitive spots. Apparently, he was doing his job right and that gave him greater satisfaction than getting his dick sucked - not that he would complain about getting his dick sucked. Diego’s body was tense with lust as he looked down at Number Four, seeing how wrecked he already was. He made quick work of slicking his shaft with the lube.

With a grin, he drew the swollen head of his erection over the puckered skin of Klaus’ hole, teasing Klaus without pressing in to breach him. “I’m gonna give it to you so hard...” He promised in a dark, husky voice and only got a low, breathy whine in response as Klaus bucked against his slicked cock. 

“Dee, please!” He groaned, ever the embodiment of impatience. 

He reached down to hold himself in place before pushing against the unyielding tightness of Klaus’ body. Klaus’ hands shot up to pull him down so he could smash their mouths together in one more hungry kiss as Diego slowly breached the tight ring of muscle. He gripped Klaus’ hips harder, sure that he would leave marks on his skin. Good. Everyone should see that Klaus was his. And yes, maybe he was a little possessive. 

It was like coming home, the feeling of sinking into Klaus like this, of his legs curling around Diego’s waist to drag him closer, their lips moving together like they were meant for each other. Klaus’ body was taut as a bowstring as Diego shot his hips forward, thrusting into him. Klaus’ eyes rolled back and fell closed as pleasure flooded his system. As Diego moved his lips down Klaus’ neck and buried his teeth hard in the soft skin, Klaus rewarded him with another breathy moan. For a second, Diego wondered what this looked like from the outside - if the caravan was rocking, and what people were thinking when seeing it. 

“Don't hold back!” Diego groaned into his neck, uncaring for what people might think, uncaring for the prejudice of this time period. He didn't care what Jimmy thought about people like them or what anyone else thought. He could feel Klaus’ heart rate going berserk as they were so close that they seemed to melt together. He felt it because his own heart rate was going berserk too as he rocked his hips. Klaus’ deeply-rolling moan was even louder than the wet slaps of skin meeting skin. He felt strangely disconnected from his brain, his body moving on instinct as he fully sheathed himself thrust upon thrust into Klaus’ body, his own body completely in sync with that of the man he loved. 

Klaus was a babbling mess as Diego began rocking his pelvis into an unbridled pace, allowing an almost pained moan to slip out as he tried to hold on just a little while longer, unwilling to have it end already even though Klaus was finally back in his arms. Klaus gasped loudly through his open mouth, his breathing strained and heady as the end was just around the corner. Klaus started rocking against him, meeting Diego with every thrust of his hips before Klaus gave in and just took Diego’s pounding again. His brows were knitted together in pleasure as Diego angled himself just a little differently so that the upward curve of his cock deliberately brushed against the swell of his prostate, the desire to make him come just by his cock alone at the forefront of his mind. 

He succeeded as Klaus moans turned into little screams of joy before he came all over his own stomach, soiling Diego’s in turn just the same. Not that any of them would care as Diego fucked him through his climax, feeling with pleasure how Klaus tightened around him, his body coaxing him into giving in until Diego was spent and exhausted. He sank down on Klaus without much grace afterward, trying to catch his breath, trying to get his heartbeat back under control as he caught Klaus’ lips into another kiss. It was clumsy and wet but he didn't care. Right now, this clumsy kiss was exactly what he had always dreamed of having. 

After he finally managed to roll off of Klaus he made quick work of cleaning up the mess they made with the tissues Klaus kept next to his bed. Either for those exact purposes or for masturbation purposes. Not that Diego had any right to be jealous … he still was, though. The moment his back hit the mattress, Klaus curled into his side, his head resting on Diego’s shoulder. It was too hot inside the caravan for a blanket and if Ben would walk in on them like this … well, that would be his own fucking problem.

“I love you...” Klaus murmured and pressed a kiss to the skin of Diego’s shoulder which only made him tighten his arms more around him, leaning down so he could press a kiss to the crown of Klaus’ head. 

“How long have you been here?” Diego murmured quietly. Until now, the question hadn't been at the forefront of his mind. The moment he had seen Klaus again he had been flooded with unbridled desire, barely able to think about anything but Klaus. Even though it had been only days for Diego since they had last seen each other. Just the thought that Klaus might be dead had been enough to send his mind and body into a complete frenzy when he saw him again. Outside their little bubble, the circus was still lit with noise and excitement. 

“I arrived three years ago,” Klaus then replied, his breath ghosting over Diego’s skin. “February 1960. I didn't really know what to do, you know? I just … walked around Dallas for a while, came back to that alley where I landed almost every day hoping that you would come through that portal - that _anyone_ would come through that portal. It was just me and Ben and then … after two months, I just gave up, you know? I thought … If you guys hadn't come through yet and if I couldn't find you anywhere else, you were probably dead or … I don't know, stranded in a whole different timeline.”

“What did you do?”

“What I do best,” Klaus huffed. “Surviving. I stayed away from the bad crowd this time around, though.”

“You stayed clean?”

“Clean as a whistle! I promised you, didn't I?” Green eyes met brown ones again as Klaus looked up at him. In the past, Klaus’ promises of getting clean hadn't meant much but Diego kept his mouth shut. “Clean and sober for three years, Baby.”

“I’m so fucking proud of you.” And he meant it. This mess they had gone through before the apocalypse, them getting back together after so many years of being apart, apparently that had done the trick at last, right? He pressed a kiss to Klaus’ head once more.

“Yeah … me too,” He replied in a low murmur. “I learned to get a better grasp of my powers as well. Hey … did you know I could banish ghosts? Because I sure had no clue about it! It would have made life a lot easier had I known … Maybe I would have never become an addict if Dad would have focused on that aspect instead of the conjuring aspect.” He made a lazy throwaway gesture with his hand at that as if it meant nothing before placing it back down on Diego’s chest. He couldn't help but take it and intertwine their fingers. 

“Anyway … Ben and I left Dallas. People here were not very fond of a homeless dude like me and I didn't have much luck conning people out of their money either. We traveled a bit for a couple of months. Then, in October, I came back to Dallas. Well, long story short, I was hit by a car and almost died. Turned out some carney folks ran me over. They took me in, took care of me, and nursed me back to health. It took a while, though. And when the time came and they needed to move on, I just … went with them. I just thought … what good would it be to stay in Dallas and keep doing what I was doing before?”

“And this circus act you are doing?”

“Yeah well … I had to earn my keep somehow, right?” Klaus huffed. “I mean … life at a circus if tough, man. Those people can't afford to take in charity cases and feed them without anything in return. So, they put me to work. I kept quiet about my powers because … frankly, I was afraid. Afraid that they would throw me in the looney bin. So, I helped out with the things I could help out with. Repairs and shit - the stuff _you_ showed me - but mostly I stuck to doing laundry and cooking and all that jazz. And then one day Edith caught me talking to Ben. I had made him corporal so that lazy bastard could help me do the laundry in a river we were camping close to. She was shocked, to say the least, but ran to Jimmy right away. So … yeah, that's how this came about.”

“I didn't know you could levitate.”

“I didn't either,” He laughed. “Until I fell off the trapeze once. Don't look at me like that. Of course, I wanted to try it out! They let me and it was fun but then during a practice run for a show it all went wrong and I fell. I was sure I would die but then my powers just kicked in and I was levitating. So … surprise! More powers. Hooray!”

He thought about all the times he could have lost Klaus in the past, both after the apocalypse and before. So many times, he could have lost Klaus to the drugs and the violence on the streets. So many times, he could have lost Klaus after the apocalypse. If he hadn't had this power inside of him, he would have plummeted to his death that day and Diego would have never known about it. Klaus would have been dead, vanished in time, swallowed up by the universe. He would have spent the rest of his life wondering about Klaus, searching for him everywhere, moving through life like a ghost, unable to move on from this. He pulled him closer against himself as if that would keep him from falling apart as this thought hit him square in the face.

“Hey … listen,” He said quietly just to distract himself from those dark thoughts. ”I heard you and Jimmy argue earlier … after the show, I mean. What was that all about?”

“Oh” Klaus breathed out a small chuckle. “Jimmy lives for the dramatics of my act. He wanted me to make the mother of that poor guy visible so she could talk. But … I didn't tell Mitch the truth about what she said, you know?”

“Oh…”

“Yeah … The 60s are not friendly to queers, Tiger.” Klaus huffed and pressed a kiss to the underside of Diego’s jaw as if in spite of the public's opinion about them. It was an ‘I love you’ in the face of hatred and violence. “Had to learn that the hard way. I didn't … I couldn't just out him in front of everyone. I couldn't … make his mom corporal so he would hear the insults she was spewing. That's why Jimmy was angry. We agreed that I would take my show a step further now - from just speaking with the dead to actually showing them.”

A smile brushed over Diego’s face. Klaus had always had the softest heart of them all. Of course, he would go against Jimmy’s orders just to keep that poor guy from harm. “As long as they are treating you well…”

“They do,” Klaus laughed. “I’ve got the biggest caravan because I am the biggest act in the circus now. Business has been flourishing since I started my act.”

“Good,” Diego muttered and pulled the blanket over them at last. Still, despite Klaus’ words, he felt a strange tugging in his gut. Something wasn't right and he couldn't quite put his finger on it yet.

**-End of Chapter 5-**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tell me what you think! It makes my heart go doki-doki


	6. Chapter 6

**March 1961**

It had started slowly, gradually, really. In fact, if it hadn't been for Ben pointing him at it with his nose, he wouldn't have noticed the change in the behavior of the people around him. It had started after he had been caught talking to Ben and after his powers had been revealed to the rest of the circus. Of course, explaining everything to the carney folk hadn't been easy and he had quickly realized that he better keep the complete truth to himself as well. In the end, he opted for saying that he had always been like this and that he had always been able to commune with the dead. To his surprise, they had accepted his explanation just like that, as if it made perfect sense. Maybe in their world it actually did.

He had been certain that it would take much more for them to accept him like this and maybe he had even been afraid that they would harm him in some way or force him to work for them. In the end, Jimmy had asked him to become part of the show. For the longest time, he had waited for the other shoe to drop. It had seemed too good to be true. It still felt too good to be true now. He couldn't quite wrap his head around the fact that he was being accepted as he was.

However, after the first few weeks, people started to stay behind after the show to talk to him. The same people would come back the next night and the next night - and then they started following the circus to the next location.

“They are weird,” Ben sighed after they left the big tent to take a breath before having to return to the stage for the curtain call. 

“They are just fans.” Klaus rolled his eyes. “It's fine.”

“They start copying how you dress.”

“They obviously recognized excellence. I mean not all of us can dress like an emo teen.”

“I rather dress like an emo teen than a hot-topic hippie!” 

“Excuse me?” A small voice suddenly demanded Klaus’ attention and as he turned his head he saw two young women standing before him, dressed in what looked like a copy of his suit, staring at him with wide, starry eyes. “Prophet? Do you have a few minutes to spare?”

 _Prophet?_ He exchanged a glance with Ben but his brother shrugged in confusion and was, as per usual, of no help to him. Since there was no one else around, those girls must be talking to him, he assumed. 

“Uhm,” He replied cleverly. “Yeah? I guess so?” Immediately they broke out into huge smiles, exchanged a look, and stepped closer.

“We just wondered if you had any pearls of wisdom for us.” One of them said and threw Klaus for another loop of utter confusion with just a couple of probably well-meaning words. 

“Some messages from the other side?” The other one asked with glowing eyes. 

“Uhm,” He said again, and again he looked at his brother as if Ben would be able to help him out in this situation. Slowly, he started to get the point Ben had tried to make earlier. “Messages from the other side?”

“Yes!” The first girl exclaimed. “Surely, you have spoken to all kinds of dead people, right? Philosophers!”

“Kings!”

“Popes!”

“Geniuses!”

“Musicians!”

“Errm … yeah, sure … sure, I did,” He replied hoping that he would be able to silence them that way. For a couple of seconds, Klaus desperately tried to think of something clever or wise to say, something his dad would approve of but then he said the first thing that came to his mind instead. “ _Sometimes you have to kind of die inside in order to rise from your own ashes and believe in yourself and love yourself to become a new person._ ” 

For a moment, Klaus was sure that he had messed up - even though he had no idea what that would mean. It wasn’t like he had anything to prove right now, after all. He didn't care about those girls and their weird beliefs about him and his powers. However, just as he wanted to say something else, they broke out into cheers, their eyes sparkling even more.

"You are so wise!" The first one cooed and the other one quickly agreed. Thank God for Ben and his angsty teenage emo phase. Thank God that his brother had forced him to listen to My Chemical Romance on a daily basis, spewing every deep-sounding quote at him that the frontman of that ridiculous band had come up with.

"We want to hear more of your wisdom, Prophet! We want to stay by your side and be your disciples! Everyone should hear your words!"

Apparently, just by accident, Klaus had started some kind of cult and now he could no longer go back.

※※※※※※※

Diego ‘the Kraken’ Hargreeves woke up to the sound of a tiger roaring in the distance. Confusion and the instinct to get up and fight overtook him before he remembered where he was. The last night came back to him in images flashing through his mind in quick succession. A grin spread over his face as he remembered how he had had Klaus underneath him, how he had writhed on the mattress, how good it had felt to be reunited with his lover. 

The next thing he realized was the fact that he was alone in Klaus' heavenly soft, lush bed. The mattress was still a bit warm where his body had rested and pressed into his. Where Klaus had been lying rested now the plush tiger that Diego had won for him as if to mock him. He could still feel Klaus' touch all over him. Klaus had always been affectionate and touchy - just like Diego himself was too. In the past, he had not even realized how much he had missed those lingering touches until he had been reunited with Klaus after Reggie's death. Now Klaus was gone like a fleeting dream that would never come back again, leaving Diego cold and alone in his bed.

Needless to say, he was not a fan of waking up alone like this. He wanted to press a kiss into Klaus’ neck, feel his lithe body press against his, feel his skin under the tips of his fingers, hear him whisper ‘good morning’ into the void of the caravan. He couldn't help but feel grumpy, feel robbed of what was supposed to be his. 

Diego got up and dressed quickly before he could wallow too much in his misfortune of not waking up with his arms full of his lover. He left the caravan silently. The last thing he needed was people seeing him come out of Klaus' caravan early in the morning and clearly disheveled. After all, Jimmy didn't seem too liberal and understanding as it came to homosexuality last night. These were the 1960s after all and people like Klaus and he was a disease that was treated in mental asylums with electroshock and aversion therapy. Well, if people knew that Klaus was Luther's brother, on the other hand, that would give them an out, right?

He found himself trailing off as he caught a glimpse of Klaus returning from the showers like a nymph from an old legend, wearing only in a towel around his narrow hips - not bothered in the slightest by his own nudity or how openly he displayed it to the world. That too was nothing new to Diego and reminded him painfully of their teenage years at the academy and how sixteen-year-old Diego had suffered a crisis of sexuality and morals almost every morning when seeing Klaus walk almost naked - sometimes completely naked - across the hallway. For the longest time, Diego had thought that Klaus had done this on purpose back in the day. He was still convinced he did. Now more so than ever before.

"Morning, sunshine!" Klaus greeted him with a lazy wave and a grin plastered onto his face as he noticed Diego standing and staring at him. He allowed his eyes to roam freely over Klaus’ body, taking in the smoothness of his skin, the sharp lines of his hips, the way his flesh stretched deliciously thin across his ribs and his collarbone. He had always enjoyed running his tongue over his collarbone and allowing his fingers to trail down his spine. "Is that a knife in your pocket or are you just happy to see me, tiger?"

Heat was creeping up his cheeks relentlessly at the teasing remark. Klaus had always known how to get under his skin.

"Felt lonely … you know, waking up alone." He said as Klaus moved towards him. 

“Don't be grumpy,” Klaus chuckled but didn't show any sign of remorse for Diego’s plight. 

As he was close enough and after he made sure that no one was watching them, Diego quickly grabbed him by the hips and pulled him in for a ravaging kiss, pressing his crotch into Klaus so that he would feel exactly just how glad Diego was to see him. As Klaus didn't pull away immediately, he allowed a bit of tongue to slip into his lover's mouth just to hear him moan before he pulled away with a grin. 

"Gonna take a shower now."

"Preferably a cold one!" Klaus cackled as he moved on to get dressed at last, while Diego could only watch him go back to the caravan. Fuck, he really had fallen hard for this one. He would have thought that now, being older and wiser, he wouldn't fall so hard for Klaus. However, the moment those green eyes had met his on the day of Reggie’s funeral, he had been done for just like when they were teenagers and now he craved his touch even more so than back in the day when they were still so young and naive. With a slow shake of his head at those thoughts, and a chuckle escaping his lips at his own ridiculousness, Diego started walking towards the showers.

The water was cold by default. It wasn't really surprising too. The only surprising thing about all of this was that _Klaus_ was using these showers. Klaus who hated nothing more than cold water. All things considered, Diego would not have been surprised to find out that Klaus had a private bath of sorts somewhere since he was the cash cow of the circus as it seemed.

As he went back to the caravans ten minutes later, he felt fresh and awake. Luckily for him, he had never been bothered by cold showers. Mainly because of the way Reggie had raised him to be tough and resilient, of course, and additionally because of his years of being pretty much homeless and living in the boiler room of a boxing gym in exchange for manual labor. Just as he walked back into camp, he saw Luther coming out of his caravan to stretch out his huge body.

"Morning!" The big guy greeted him with a smile just as he caught sight of Diego. Just days ago, this would have been unthinkable for the two of them. Right now, however, Diego was actually happy to see his brother.

"Hey there, big guy! Done with your beauty sleep already?"

Luther grinned in response before he stepped a bit closer and lowered his voice enough that only Diego would be able to hear him. "I assume you had a pleasant night?" Luther grinned and Diego did his best not to blush. He was an adult, after all, and wanting to have sex with his lover was natural. "If you're looking for Klaus, he's having breakfast."

"Already?" Diego replied dumbfounded. _‘Without me?’_ He wanted to ask. It was weird and surprising enough that Klaus was already up and running even though the sun had barely risen on the horizon.

"I was surprised too," A chuckle escaped him with a huff of air. "I guess life at the circus changed his habits just a little. He's much less of a bum." Which has to say something. Klaus had never been known to be hard-working, after all. He had always been a lazy bum. 

"Yeah, apparently,” Diego replied in a low murmur before he remembered the weird people he had seen last night at the show. Now was the moment to ask Luther about it, he assumed. “Hey, I saw a couple of people at the show last night that was dressed like Klaus and behaving all weird like. What's up with that?"

Luther made a grimace in response. "Yeah … you'll see soon…"

"What?" A surprised laugh slipped from his lips. "You make it sound so ominous! Has he started a cult or something?" Again this grimace on Luther’s face! "Luther … _has_ he started a cult?"

"I wouldn't say it like that."

"Jesus…"

"He's not having orgies or makes people drink any kool-aid."

"Oh gee, I am so relieved!"

"It's not his fault!"

"So, what you are trying to say is that he formed a cult by accident?"

It was certainly not the craziest thing that Diego had ever heard. Klaus was, for sure, a person who would form a cult by accident. He was a magnetic personality - always had been. The strangest kinds of people felt drawn towards ‘the Séance’. It had always been like this. Once, Diego remembered, Klaus even had a crazy stalker when they were barely fifteen years old and constantly on the covers of magazines - around the time when Klaus and Ally had dabbled in modeling for a while because Reggie had wanted to put them out there more and more and more.

 _Teen idols_. That was what Numbers Three and Four used to be back in the day.

In a way, they had all been teen idols but they all had their respective niches for which they had been marketed like toys. To this day, Diego remembered the shoots for commercials of all kinds and the stupid interviews they had been forced to give. They all had had a certain role to play and none of them had dared to stray from the carefully crafted image that some PR-guy had come up with by order of Sir Reginald Hargreeves.

 _Number One_ , the ultimate leader to which those fresh-faced boy-scout-type boys could look up to - always responsible and nice to old ladies, always a hero, the type of person who would run into a burning building or save a cat that was stuck on a tree. 

_Number Two_ , the rebel with a cause - dark, brooding, and mysterious after Reggie had successfully tormented him into submission and made him forget how to smile. Those childhood dimples had not been good for his image when he had smiled in front of the cameras. Reginald used to put him on TV and forced him to perform like a fucking circus animal - which was, all things considered, quite ironic now. 

_Number Three_ , the pretty and strong female role model for the little girls - always a beacon of elegance, grace, kindness, and good manners to teach the girls around the world what a girl was supposed to be like. _Barbie_ was a thing of the past. Allison Hargreeves, Wonder Woman, and Supergirl were the new idols for the little girls. What the world didn't see was the strict diet Reginald put Allison on so that she would always stay in shape, always be a size zero. He remembered how his sister got dolled up for all kinds of events and how she had scrubbed her face afterward in front of her vanity. Playing with makeup was one thing at such an early age but being dolled-up like a grown woman had struck a strange chord in her - in all of them.

 _Number Four_ , the mysterious heartthrob with the pretty face and a certain kind of darkness lingering behind his beautiful green eyes the girls would go crazy for - always with a lopsided smile on his face, dramatics to the extremes, all witty remarks, and sarcasm. The cameras never caught a glimpse of his heart of gold or of his deeply caring nature. Those were secrets he had kept close to his heart because Reginald wouldn’t have wanted the world to know the scared little boy behind the mask. 

_Number Six_ , the genius who died too young - kind, soft-spoken, highly intelligent, and dangerous.

Looking back on everything, his father had been quick to adjust after none of them no longer fit the mold he had desired for them to fit in at the beginning of the Umbrella Academy. The longer the cameras had remained on the group of child superheroes, the clearer it had become to the public that they all had personalities of their own and were not the mindless soldiers Sir Reginald had desired them to be.

“Kinda,” Luther huffed. “They call themselves _‘Destiny’s children’_. Hey, I thought about your act!”

“Yeah?” He was aware that Luther was just trying to divert his attention from Klaus and his _Destiny’s children_. Regardless, Diego decided to play along for now. There was nothing he could do about Klaus’ cult anyway right now. 

“Maybe you could get Jimmy to allow you to use Klaus for some of your tricks.”

“Klaus?”

“Yes! The people love him and if they think he’s in danger - Just imagine how big this show could get! And he would never be in any _real_ danger - only that no one knows this except for us, for course. You could even get volunteers from the audience later in the show.”

“That's actually pretty smart.”

“I have my moments from time to time.”

They shared a rare smile at that - a joke unspoken and understood only by them. It seemed like a lifetime ago that Numbers One and Two had shared such a moment. 

At last, Diego followed his brother to where the others were having breakfast. To his surprise, he found Klaus sitting on the ground on a few pillows, surrounded by what Diego now knew were his disciples, all looking at him starry-eyed and curious to receive the wisdom that Klaus apparently had to offer. Something about that image Diego found unsettling but he couldn't quite say what it was yet. He noticed that a few of the young girls from the circus were hovering around Klaus as well.

A part of him was rioting as it seemed that Klaus didn't even register his presence. A childish, primal, animalistic part of his brain that wanted to be the center of Klaus’ attention. Instead of throwing a temper tantrum, though, he followed Luther to the food tent. His brother already had a plate with scrambled eggs in his hand and something told him that it wouldn't be the last one.

The other circus folks didn't really seem to pay any mind to Klaus or his cult and how they were sitting around being all spiritual and shit. Seeing Klaus in a lotus seat on the ground looking all guru like wasn't really that surprising either, all things considered. He remembered him going through a spiritual phase during their teenage years and how he had started doing yoga with the hope that it would help him with dealing with his powers. Evidently, it had not. However, now Klaus seemed to have a much better grip on his powers. Just thinking that Klaus had honored his promise to Diego and stayed clean and that this decision had ultimately forced him to handle his powers was still bringing him to his knees.

“He looks … different…” 

“Yeah,” Luther replied. “He’s changed a lot. He’s calmer, more grounded.”

“So I’ve noticed,” Diego murmured. “And that worries me.”

“What? Why?”

“Because, in my experience, Klaus being calm and grounded means a storm is brewing on the horizon, Bro.”

※※※※※※※

The cult was a rather weird bunch of people. They didn't belong to the circus, as he found out eventually. They were normal people from all over the place that had found out about Klaus and decided to start following him and his lead while Klaus was just spouting random song lyrics at them that they seemed to take as some form of weird-ass gospel. The moment, Diego had heard Klaus recite the Backstreet Boys, he almost lost it. They seemed to be nice people, as far as Diego could tell and although they wanted to be around Klaus all the time, they respected the rules of the circus enough to go their own way while the circus folks were working. 

Not that Klaus would be working very much. Most of the day, he was lounging around somewhere - _replenishing his energy_ as he called it. Or doing meditation and yoga to _ground himself and his powers_ \- as Luther called it. 

He was _being lazy_ \- that was how Diego would describe it. It became clear to him quickly that Klaus’ cult had no ill intentions, though. They were generally trying to find enlightenment through him. Jimmy DeWitt, on the other hand, was seeking monetary gain from Klaus and nothing else. Every time the cult members entered the circus grounds they had to pay a fee to him. It took Diego a moment to grasp that fact but the cultist paid him what little money they still seemed to have without moaning or batting an eye at the fact that DeWitt literally demanded them to pay money to see their guru. Klaus either didn't know or he didn't care. 

Knowing his lover, it was hard to imagine that Klaus didn't know what DeWitt was doing and it was also hard to imagine that he didn't care. Junkie Klaus might have been an asshole but deep down he had always been kind and caring with a heart of gold. He remembered one time Klaus had found him at the boxing gym frozen to the core in the middle of a snowstorm after he had given his jacket to a young homeless girl. He wasn’t a selfless person per se but he wasn’t selfish either. He wasn't the type of person who would milk naive and desperate people for money that they probably didn't have anymore. 

The longer Diego spent at the circus, the more he thought that DeWitt seemed to be an unsavory character. He often left the circus to drive into town to ‘do business’ whatever that was supposed to mean. Judging by his tone and the type of person he seemed to be, it couldn't be legal. He had spent enough time on the streets of the City and seen enough shit in his time as a vigilante, to tell when something bad was going on. His gut was usually right about this kind of thing.

As he sat at the campfire with Luther, Klaus, and Ben that night, however, Klaus and Luther both seemed unwilling to see what he meant. They had ventured off from the campsite to set up this little campfire near the riverside in one of the rare nights when no show was going on. Klaus always seemed drained after performing in the big tent. Luther was sitting on a log with Ben beside him and he held Klaus in his arms as all things were supposed to be. He was sitting on the ground, leaning against a tree stump, Klaus between his legs with his back pressed against Diego’s chest. Life was good.

“You are being paranoid,” Klaus grinned but pressed a kiss to his jaw that should lessen the impact of his words. Klaus knew exactly which buttons to press, after all. This manipulative little…

“It's not paranoia,” Ben interrupted both Klaus and Diego’s train of thought. “It's called being sensible and cautious, you know? Something you have never been able to act like.”

“You are just saying this shit because you are paranoid too, Benerino,” Klaus sighed unimpressed by the interruption, and flipped their dead brother off. “Jimmy is fine. Sure, he might be a bit of a crook, right? But who cares? I was a junkie for thirteen years and probably did far worse things than Jimmy does to make some extra cash or make the cops look the other way if he does something less than legal.”

“People like this Jimmy-guy are bad news” Diego argued back. “Maybe we should just leave. I mean … we have found each other and we know where Allison is. Only Five and Vanya are missing - that is, if they survived this time travel bullshit. We should … go to Allison and regroup, figure out what to do next.”

“What do you mean?” Luther frowned. “There is nothing to do next. I mean … The apocalypse doesn't happen for another fifty-something years and if Vanya didn't survive the whole thing then there is nothing to worry about anyway.”

“Yeah, but shouldn't we find a way to go back to our own time? We don't belong here and, quite frankly, I could do without the racist and homophobic bullshit. Every second we spend in this timeline, we might cause something irreparable to the timeline, ever thought about that?”

“Amen!” Ben drowned. “I tried to tell them already but none of those idiots would listen.”

“Good to see that Ben is still the only smart member of this family.”

“Even if I wanted to go back to our time,” Luther said. “How are we supposed to do this? We are stuck here, Diego.”

“What do you mean _‘even if I wanted’_? Why wouldn't you want to go back home?”

“Well, what is there for me anyway?” Luther frowned. “Listen, Diego, you just got here and I get it but the rest of us had to start fresh and build something for ourselves. I mean, look at Allison! You can't expect her to just leave everything behind just like this. She’s married! What about her husband? No … At least here, people accept me for who I am.”

“No,” Diego groaned. “The one group of people sees you as a cash cow and the other as a freak, that's all, Luther.” He saw how Luther’s face fell at those words but right now, he thought, his brother needed to hear this and have his little bubble burst because it wouldn't be healthy allowing him to continue living in this fantasy. “The only reason why you are so hesitant is because of Allison, because Allison moved on and because you missed your chance again. That's pathetic, big guy.”

“Fuck you!” Luther spat as he got up from the log he had been sitting on. “You have it fucking easy, Diego but I would really like to see how you would behave if Klaus had found someone else in the meantime. We all know you would throw a fucking tantrum and fuck everything up. I am allowed to deal with this how I think is the right way to deal with it.” 

He watched Luther walk off with stomping steps and left the even numbers trio alone in awkward silence. “Was this really necessary?” Klaus sighed and got up himself as well, much to Diego’s surprise. “I’m gonna talk to him.”

He was a bit speechless as Klaus went after Luther and his face must have betrayed this emotion as he looked at Ben because his dead brother shrugged his shoulders and said: “They had a lot of time to become closer since Luther arrived here. They spent a lot of time together.”

“Still,” Diego sighed but he quickly forgot what he wanted to say. Nothing he could say could give reason to what he was actually thinking. “Fuck … Luther is right … I’m always ruining things…”

“You are right, though,” Ben shrugged. It was a miracle that Klaus had his powers under such a firm grip now that he managed to allow Ben to stay visible even when he wasn’t near. “Luther has to see reason and that entails accepting that we can’t stay here forever. We don't belong here. Us being here and messing with the timeline could be dangerous. It could have insurmountable consequences.”

“I get it, though,” Diego admitted at last. “Luther, I mean. Must be nice to be able to not worry about his body all the time or be afraid of how people will react to it. Here he can actually use it to his advantage. I’m just worried, though … after the whole Harold Jenkins crap, you know? And then this creepy cult … No, I don't like it.”

“The cult is harmless,” Ben huffed. “Just a bunch of peace-loving hippies that think Klaus can give them something no one else can.”

“And that is?”

“Answers, I suppose.”

“Answers?”

“What happens after I die? What is waiting for me on the other side? Is my dead loved one at peace? Can I still find forgiveness even in death? What is the meaning of life? Is there a God? Is there a Heaven and a Hell? These kinds of answers. To them, Klaus is something like the second coming of Christ or something.”

“Reggie would have a field day with this kind of bullshit, wouldn't he?” 

“You bet your ass.” Ben laughed. “Especially because for once in his life, Klaus actually has a grip on his powers. I mean, look at me!” He made jazz hands at Diego. “I’m here and he is not even close by anymore. He’s getting stronger each day.”

“You don't sound too happy about that, though.”

“I am,” Ben shrugged. “But I’m worried also. I mean, I was there the entire time since I died and I know him well. There is something … else. I don't know what it is, though. I feel it tugging on my insides sometimes when Klaus does his shows, something simmering underneath it all. Sometimes, I am afraid that he loses control, especially when Jimmy demands him to manifest ghosts. It drains a lot of his energy, keeping the ghosts under control when he allows one or two to manifest. It's like a faucet, you know? As long as it just drips, everything is okay but I’m afraid that there will be a flood wave soon if Jimmy keeps pestering him.”

“Are there many ghosts around at the moment?”

“Getting more each day. They can feel his presence here and they start … flocking towards Klaus. Much like his cult.”

“So we need to take care that there won’t be a flood wave.” Diego sighed.

“Trust me, with you being here right now, I already feel much better about that. You ground him - you always did. He’s calmer with you around.”

He didn't quite know how to feel about that but, in a way, it soothed his own mind to hear that. It felt good to know that he had such a good influence on Klaus, after all. “I think we should go back to camp,” Diego sighed as he got up and started putting out the fire. Ben wasn’t much of a help with that but he followed Diego regardless until they came into view of the camp, only then did Ben disappear into thin air. The lights in Klaus’ caravan were on but Luther’s trailer was dark. He should apologize, he knew that, but maybe not today. 

Instead, he walked over to Klaus’ caravan, knocked shortly, and walked inside. His lover was already lounging on his bed with a book in his hands. “He didn't want to talk,” Klaus informed him with a sigh but waved him over regardless so Diego kicked off his shoes, climbed on top of Klaus’ bed, and laid down next to him. After a moment, Klaus made room so that he could rest his head on Klaus’ chest and put his arm around him. He took a second to breathe in his scent, allowed it to fill his nostrils, and consign it to memory.

“I do get it, you know?” Diego murmured. “What Luther said … If you would have ended up with someone else in the meanwhile … I don't know what I would have done. I wouldn't have been able to deal with it.”

Klaus hummed in response. “That's how I felt when you were dating Eudora,” He confessed silently. “I mean, I get it, right? We broke up and that's the normal thing to do - start dating someone else, I mean. But it still sucked when I found out about it. I hated it but then I thought that it might be better this way because all I ever did to you was hurt you. I wanted to see you happy, that's all.”

“I’m happy now” Diego replied and pulled him closer, wrapped his arms around him more. “I’m happy with you in my arms right now. I don't care where or when we are as long as I have you. Still … I think we should try to figure out a way to go home.”

“We will, eventually,” Klaus murmured with a smile. “You’ll see, Five will pop up through the wormhole and hunt us down or something, and then someone else will be trying to gut us. Same old, same old.”

“You’re probably right.”

**-End of Chapter 6-**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tell me what you think! It makes my heart go doki-doki


	7. Chapter 7

**August 1962**

The 1960s sucked. There were many reasons why Klaus Hargreeves wasn’t really fond of the 1960s. Good reasons, he might add. There was the racism aspect, for example. True, he wasn't really the target of those attacks but other members of the circus were and Klaus hated to see it. The only form of racism he would face sometimes was when people would hear his name and figure out that he was German - then people would give him all kinds of crap but he could live with that. The memories of the second world war were still raw in the people wandering the streets, after all. Most of the older men had served overseas during the war. They saw red when they would hear a german-sounding name. 

Also, there was this form of misogyny that was so normal in this time period. Old men that would feel up their secretaries when they were forced to bend over to pick something up, waitresses that got smacked on the ass, lewd comments at young girls that were walking down the streets - insults if a woman was wearing too short a skirt or revealed too much skin. That too was nothing that affected him personally but he couldn't stand it nonetheless. He didn't understand it either. 

Then there was the homophobia. That one … oh, that one did affect him personally.

It wasn’t new, of course. He was used to that. He was used to so many crappy things. That didn't mean that it wouldn't hurt, of course. It hurt like hell whenever people looked at him and started calling him faggot, pillow-biter, or whatever else they came up with at that moment. It hurt to be reduced to this one fucking aspect of his life as if him being queer was his only defining character trait - as if he was not a human being with feelings, dreams, and a purpose. Because to those people he wasn’t all those things. To those kinds of people, he was just ‘a queer’, just dirt under their boots, not even worth consideration. 

Not much had changed in the 50-something years between 1960 and 2019 if he was being honest to himself. The only thing that had changed was that he was no longer considered a disease by the healthcare system and no longer considered a criminal by the justice system. The homophobia was still there but it was no longer _fashionable_ and okay to show that. In his time, people frowned about people who were openly homophobic or racist or sexist - that didn't mean that people weren’t all those things, of course. Not all people. _Not all people_. But they still existed and they still targeted people like Klaus. The only real difference between 1960 and 2019 in that regard was that people were not afraid to show their disgust with him openly - yes, it even was fucking encouraged. 

He didn't have to do anything either. he could be walking down a street minding his own business until some asshole decided that he _looked_ queer. That too was nothing new - only in 2019, generally speaking, people tended to help those who were attacked in the middle of the fucking street just for breathing and existing. In the 1960s people would just walk past a scene like this or cheer the attackers on to _‘hit the queer’_ harder.

Tonight was such a night. He had felt it in the air when he walked into Dallas. He had smelt it, felt the storm coming as a tickling sensation on his skin as he had walked down Main Street. It was his night off. The circus just came back to Dallas and was still setting everything up for the first show. Usually, he didn't go alone but tonight everyone was busy and Klaus couldn't stand being up on that hill and not having anything to do anymore. He had needed to escape. Escape the circus, the expectations, Jimmy, Ethel, and the others, escape his cult - maybe even escape Benny who was a constant nagging presence in his ears these days. 

Now that he was slowly being kicked to death in an alley by a random group of teenage boys, he wished he had just stayed at the circus where it was safe. The attack had been random and without warning - as those kinds of attacks usually were. Senseless and cruel and without reason. He had been here before.

The next kick struck him in the face. He heard his nose crack on impact. Black dots started appearing at the edge of his field of vision. He shouldn't have left without Ben and now he was alone and had no chance against those thugs. He told himself that they didn't know what they were doing or that it was wrong. He told himself that he should forgive them for they didn't know it any better. They had been raised like this and their daddies would clap them on their shoulders and tell them how proud they were of their boys for beating up someone who was not ‘normal’, not ‘like them’.

And then, something truly miraculous happened. The attack stopped. He heard the kids yell out in pain but Klaus didn't dare open his eyes. He thought about that one time Diego had found him in the middle of the night in some random alleyway. He had saved him then. Maybe it was him. Maybe he was here now. Maybe, he would open his eyes and Diego would be there, smiling at him, his dimples popping, giving him that silly wink and that dorky, adorable, lopsided smile that made him look like a dumbass all the time - a cute dumbass. His dumbass. And he would pull him into a crushing, suffocating hug against his strong chest, breathe in his scent, drag his calloused fingers through his curls, and press a kiss against the side of his head as if he was the most precious thing he had ever seen, as if he was worth the entire world. Because in Diego’s eyes, regardless of the horrible things he had done in the past, he was.

“Klaus?” A deep, rumbling voice called his name and hope flooded him like water. He slowly opened his eyes against the darkness of the alley.

“Diego?” He heard his own voice muttering before his eyes had time to adjust and see who was with him. Sweat clung uncomfortably to his skin like blood. The air was hot and humid. A storm was coming. 

“No … No, it's me … Hey…” A pale face hovered above him like the moon. Ha! The irony. His big brother’s blue eyes looked at him with deep worry as he kneeled on the ground next to him, his hands helpless in the air, uncertain of what to do and where to touch him without hurting him any further.

“Luther?”

“Yeah,” His brother replied with a small smile. “It's me. Come on … I’ve got you.”

※※※※※※※

**October 1963**

“I’m just saying” He heard Klaus’ voice come from outside the caravan as he woke up in Klaus’ bed. Alone, once more. He really didn't like waking up alone. He had a headache. A storm was brewing on the horizon. He could feel it in his bones. “I don't think it's a good idea!”

“We have to raise the bar a bit higher, Klaus!” Jimmy replied, unrelenting in whatever argument they had going on right now. “People are getting bored by your act. They’ve seen it all and think that they figured out your tricks. We have to give them something special, something that they can not possibly explain to anyone! Don't you want your cult to expand too? Those idiots are paying good money every day to see you here and to talk to you here! And when better to give the people something new than tonight? It's Halloween, Klaus! _Halloween!_ People will come in spooky costumes and want to be spooked by what you can do! We set up a special show tonight just for you to showcase what you can do! The big tent will be crawling with ghosts!”

“I don't think that I can do that!” Klaus interrupted. “It takes a lot of energy out of me and if I lose control there is no telling what could happen!”

“I’m not arguing with you, Klaus,” Jimmy said as a way to end the argument. There was a finality to his words that was undeniably there. “You are still my employee and I am tired of hearing the same excuses from you! Either you do this tonight or you and your brothers can go looking for a new place.”

He heard heavy footsteps walk off and then something that sounded like a fist colliding with the side of the caravan. Klaus? He wasn’t usually the kind of person who would do something like this. Then, his lover’s voice chimed up again from outside. “I know, Ben! Just stay out of my business, okay?” A moment of pause. “Well, then congratulations because you’re _fired!_ ”

Another set of stomping footsteps before the door to the caravan opened and revealed a very flustered looking Klaus whose face visibly fell as he noticed that Diego was awake. “Oh … Good morning, Tiger.”

“Morning,” He replied, deciding to act as if he had not heard the argument just yet. Instead, he waved him over as he sat there in Klaus’ bed. “I don't like waking up alone.”

“How can I make it up to you?”

“You could give me a kiss?” Klaus’ face split into a wide grin as he walked over to the bed. He paused in front of him shortly, watching Diego as if he wanted to take it all in before he dropped onto the mattress and crawled towards him. It took only seconds for Klaus to straddle his lap before catching Diego’s lips with his own. The smell of last night's activities still hung in the air. All things considered, it was a miracle that they had not been found out yet by the rest of the circus folks the way the caravan would be rocking at night. “I love you,” He said quietly as they broke apart after a few seconds. He brushed his fingers through Klaus’ soft curls. It had started to grow out a little. “Like crazy. You bring me to my knees, Baby.”

“Are you trying to sweet-talk me?” Klaus laughed. “Because it's working.”

“Good,” Diego huffed and stole another kiss from Klaus’ lips. “Then you might be inclined to tell me what this fight with Jimmy was all about just now?”

“I knew it!” Klaus sighed dramatically. “You sly bastard you. It was nothing, really.”

“Didn't sound like nothing to me.”

“It was just about tonight's show … He wants me to summon and manifest a couple of spirits to make it a big thing for the Halloween audience.”

“But can you control ‘a couple of spirits’ at once?”

“It's not like I tried before.” Well, if that didn’t instill confidence... “Usually, I am glad when they aren’t around as much or when it's just one at a time. But I guess I can do it if I put my mind to it. It just needs more focus than usual. I can’t get distracted by anything and that can get hard during a show like this.”

“If you don't think that you can do this you shouldn't, Klaus.” He said as he cupped his lover’s face to hammer his point home. Klaus was a flighty being - like a bird. He didn’t like confrontation or arguments, so he would often try to escape. “It's too dangerous. Not just for the guests but for you as well. There is no saying in what could happen to you if you lose control.”

“Yeah, I know.” Klaus sighed and patted his chest gently before he put his arms around Diego’s shoulder, his fingers going straight for the back of Diego’s neck to stroke through the short hair and gently scratch the sensitive skin. “I’m going to try and if I realize that it's too much I can still abort, right? I mean, Jimmy is going to be pissed either way but at least I tried then. I have to challenge myself and my powers eventually, right? Stagnation shouldn't be an option.”

“Now you sound like Dad.”

“Well, the old man wasn’t wrong about _everything_ , I guess.” He withdrew his fingers from Diego’s neck and before he could mourn the loss, Klaus tapped Diego’s naked chest with his fingertips. “Anyway! Care to throw some more knives at me later?”

“How could I say no to that?”

※※※※※※※

It was meant as a surprise. Maybe it was not the best idea he had ever had but it was an idea regardless. Sooner or later, he thought, Luther would need to confront his demons, after all. Sooner or later, Luther would need to meet Allison again and actually face her. He couldn't hide from her forever, after all, right? 

He hadn't seen Klaus for a couple of hours after the other man had retreated back into his caravan to prepare for his show. Meditating, he had told Diego. Deep down, he wondered if Klaus was scared of tonight. Deep down, _he_ was scared.

The darker it got outside, the more nervous Diego became. By now, he had gotten a bit more used to performing in front of all those people for sure but he still got a little bit of stage fright. Even though he should be used to the limelight after how he had grown up. It helped that Klaus liked to share the stage with him from time to time. It made him feel a lot more comfortable - although it reminded him sometimes a little painfully of the childhood that they had spent in front of TV cameras. He was already dressed in his usual black get up for the show, making sure that his knives were in order, as he heard the voice calling out for him.

“Diego? Is that really you?” He turned around sharply. There she was, his sister Allison and her husband standing there, dressed their Sunday best like so many of the people visiting the show. Only the kids and teenagers dressed up for Halloween and more guests were still to arrive in a steady stream walking and driving up the hill.

He bowed mockingly at the pair, something he had learned from Klaus, and Allison’s smile widened even more. “Look at you!” She laughed. “You look dashing.” Diego chuckled but allowed her to hug him at last. Weird how much could change in such a short time between two people who had never been particularly close to one another. “So what's the big surprise - apart from my brother being a circus attraction.”

He stared at her for a second and then glanced over her shoulder at Ray. He could tell that his sister caught on to his hesitation and raised her eyebrows in confusion. It was probably the best to rip the band-aid off quickly.

“Luther is here,” He replied and, to lessen the blow, he added: “And so is Klaus.” Naturally, she gaped at him in surprise and maybe even shock at the news. 

“Wow,” She breathed out quietly after a second or two of collecting her thoughts. “Wow, that's … that’s _great_ … I mean … where are they now? Can I see them?” She glanced at her husband. Ray seemed a little confused but at the very least she seemed to have told him a bit more about her weird-ass family because he didn't seem that shocked right now. A part of him wondered if Allison had finally told him the full truth. 

“Klaus is preparing for the show and Luther too. I didn't tell them that I called you. I thought … why not surprise them?”

“You are a devil!” She grinned and smacked his arm.

“I reserved you front row seats - wasn’t easy. Had to demote some of Klaus’ cult members to the second row.”

“Klaus’ what now?”

“Long story!” He laughed. “He’s gonna tell you himself. I have to get ready and shit now. Enjoy the carnival before you go sit down - but don’t trust Tom at the throwing booth. The game is rigged.”

He left his sister behind after another hug to bring his knives into the tent and get ready for the show that was soon to start. He found Luther inside the tent and threw a quick glance over his shoulder to make sure that Allison hadn't decided to come in already. As he saw that she hadn’t, he approached his brother confidently.

“Everything alright there, big guy?”

“Just making sure everything is as it's supposed to be.” Diego had to roll his eyes fondly at that. 

“I wonder if you will ever learn to break through Dad’s conditioning,” He huffed but there was no real bite behind his words. Not like it used to be between them. “You don't need to make your bed like a soldier anymore each morning, you don't need to get up at 5 AM sharp to go for a run and spend all your mornings working out like a mad man. Everything is in order. Everything is perfectly fine for the show.”

“I just feel like today we need to be extra thorough, you know? It's just a feeling. Maybe it's because of today’s ‘special’ or … I don't know.”

“Well, tonight _is_ a special night!” Diego grinned and lowered his voice. “It's Halloween when the veil between the world of the living and the dead is at its thinnest!”

“You are spending too much time with Klaus.”

“Obviously,” He grinned. “Hey … I just wanted to tell you … I’m actually glad that we stayed here, you know?”

“Really?” His brother sounded honestly surprised and that only managed to drive home the point of what a shitty brother Diego was to Luther in the past. 

“Yeah … yeah because you were right, I guess. Where else would we have gone, I mean. I think, now that I’ve gotten used to everything here, we are right where we belong, aren’t we? We’ve always been circus animals, in a way - but here we are actually valued and not used as weapons.”

“It feels good, right?” Luther murmured.

“Yeah, it does.” He replied. “It's different than it was back in the city, back at the gym. It feels like it's actually worthwhile what we do here. I mean, it's hard work but it's honest and the people are nice - even though Jimmy can be quite the pain in the ass sometimes, even though I think he demands too much from Klaus.”

“He gets too excited, I agree,” Luther sighed. “There is just no telling what will happen if Klaus gets pushed too far - I told him as much. In the end, he can't force Klaus.”

“I heard them argue this morning.”

“Oh?”

“He threatened Klaus to kick us all out if he wouldn't go through with tonight's show. I fear this is getting out of hand.”

“What did Klaus say?” Luther stopped what he was doing to glance at Diego over his shoulder. He could tell by the way he tensed his shoulders that he feared having to leave this place. Maybe it was cruel of him to use this information now.

“You know Klaus,” He sighed as if that would explain anything. “Klaus can be stubborn like the rest of us. I think he’s trying to protect you - us. At the cost of his own sanity and health, if nothing else.” 

Luther stared at him dumbfounded at these words. He seemed unable to grasp what Diego was telling him and, as the penny dropped, his face fell a little. Maybe it was mean to appeal to Luther’s protective urges but if it meant getting Klaus out of harm’s way then he would do it without hesitation because, as of right now, he couldn't help but feel that Klaus really was in harm’s way with this special show tonight. Klaus was afraid to say no to Jimmy because then they needed to leave this place and since Klaus knew how much Luther loved it here, he would much rather stay here and deal with this shit than revolt. Klaus had always had the biggest, the gentlest heart of them all. 

“Oh,” Luther breathed out quietly. “I’m gonna talk to him.”

“Just … let's wait how tonight goes, okay? I mean, if everything turns out fine then there will be no need to leave this place, right? But … I just … if the situation goes out of hand-”

“I get it,” Luther replied calmly and patted his shoulder. “I get it. Listen, I love it here, that much is true but not if it means my brother is suffering because of it. We are a team now. Not like before. We are here for each other, right?”

It seemed to be the first time that those words actually rang true. For the first time since Reginald had collected them all and forced them to be a team, they actually were a team - by choice, bound together by love and camaraderie and it felt good to know that Luther would be willing to do what it would take to protect Klaus.

“We should get ready now.”

Thirty minutes later, the spotlight was illuminating the center of the tent and music filled the space while people started applauding and cheering at the acrobats and other freaks. During this Halloween night, the guests got to see a special show indeed. They all were wearing their best and scariest costumes, painted skeletons, and freaks of nature. Diego had never been one for dramatics and yet, somehow, he felt in his element as he was throwing his knives at one of the girls from Klaus’ cult or swallowing a sword - a new trick he had just learned a couple of weeks ago. Luther too was bathing in the limelight. If he had noticed Allison in the front row, he didn't show any hint of recognition - only as he walked back outside where Diego was waiting, Luther stared at him with wide eyes.

“Did you know that-” He stopped himself and then he rolled his eyes with a small laugh. “You invited her, didn't you?”

“I have no idea what you are talking about, big guy.” Diego winked. He noticed how Klaus was approaching the tent slowly. He was wearing that ridiculous white and blue coat with those white harems pants again - barefoot, of course, to properly channel his powers. Ben was trailing after him like a nagging blue Jiminy Cricket. By now, it had almost become normal to see him around, pestering Klaus. 

“Ready for giving a good show, Baby?” Diego grinned. He wanted to kiss him as a token of good luck but there were too many others around. Too many people who couldn't know the truth.

“Have I ever not been ready to give a good show?”

“You’ve been born ready.”

“Exactly.”

“You two,” Luther sighed and rolled his eyes. “You deserve each other.”

“So, are you going to watch me or what?” Klaus then grinned as they heard Jimmy’s voice erupt from inside the tent and announce Klaus’ act. He nodded swiftly before the flap was held open from inside to allow Klaus to slip in, followed by Luther and Diego who stayed in the shadows so that the audience wouldn't see them there. Watching Klaus do his thing was always special no matter how many times he had seen it. It was like a dream - the way he moved in the spotlight, the way he spoke, the way his eyes were so piercing in the bright lights. He had a certain presence that it made it impossible to take one’s eyes off of him. 

Klaus started as he usually did, levitating in the center of the tent, earning the usual applause, before he turned to the audience again. “I have a special little something-something for you guys tonight,” He told the audience, his arms wide apart as he stood in the center of the stage again. “To celebrate this special night when the veil between the world of the living and the dead is at its thinnest and the dead are walking among us.” The air got colder all of a sudden but Diego couldn't take his eyes off of Klaus as his hands started glowing blue. The crowd all but screeched as the tent started to fill with ghostly blue phantoms as if a curtain had been pulled back. Well, that was exactly what it was, Diego came to realize.

It was startling to see. The last time they had seen Klaus manifesting anything that wasn’t Ben was when they were children, long before Klaus had started with the fucking drugs that would ruin his life. But this - right there - was nothing compared to what they had seen him do as a child. The music picked up again inside the tent, a slow waltz as Klaus gently started weaving his hands through the air like a conductor would and the ghosts, those blue shapes, started dancing to the music in pairs of two, gently swaying on stage as they took clearer shape with each passing second while the blue glow around Klaus’ hands got stronger too. By now the crowd was erupting in excited whispers as they stared in awe at the scene before them.

Klaus grinned widely at the crowd, still conducting this little scene with his fingers hovering in the air like it was nothing. Diego could see the strain it put on him bleed through, though. In retrospect, he should have seen the cracks forming earlier than he did. The blue glow crept silently up Klaus’ arms as even more ghosts started to appear. For a second, he thought that he saw a flicker of fear on his lover’s face but then the smile was back in place as Klaus turned to a female ghost and started dancing with her too, levitating just a couple of inches above the ground. By now, his entire body was enveloped in blue light.

And then it happened. The moment his eyes started glowing blue, all hell broke loose. 

It happened too quickly to react to it, too quickly to fully grasp what was going on. Suddenly, the earth started shaking as more and more and more ghosts filled the tent. They got more and more solid too. Suddenly, they were reaching out for the living souls inside the tent, reduced to feral beasts in search of the warmth of the living, in search of revenge. 

A ghost brushed past Diego and he could actually feel the body of the dead man against him. His head had a gaping hole in it. The ghosts that started to appear were no longer shapeless blobs, no longer nice-looking dignified gentlemen and women. They were distorted looking zombies, the causes of their deaths open on display and the crowd was screaming in terror as people started rushing out of the tent, scrambling to get out. He saw a little girl stumbling and falling and a woman stepped on her. 

Diego was moving before he knew it, helping the girl up and carrying her out as fast as he could. He could hear Luther’s voice bellow through the tent, helping others out as well. He caught a glimpse of Allison, shooing members of Klaus’ cult through a hole in the tent that she had ripped into the heavy fabric with one of Diego’s knives. All of it happened so fast - the Umbrella Academy acting on instinct - and then it was only them inside the tent. Diego, Luther, Allison, and Raymond, standing there, unable to do anything but try to fend off the ghosts that were now zeroing in on them, ready to rip them apart. 

Diego had no doubt that they would be able to do that as well. He wanted to scream. He wanted to rush over to Klaus who just hovered motionless in mid-air, his eyes glazed over as if his own soul had left his body. They couldn't get through to him, though. He noticed Ben, trying desperately to keep the ghosts away from Klaus as they started clawing at him. The eldritch’s tentacles were now all that stood between Klaus and his worst nightmare.

“I heard a rumor!” Allison yelled over the wailing and the screaming and the noise. “That you fell asleep!”

And just like that, it was over. Klaus came crashing down to the floor and lay there motionless.

**-End of Chapter 7-**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tell me what you think! It makes my heart go doki-doki <3


	8. Chapter 8

**November 1963**

Allison looked tired the way she sat on that wooden bench next to her husband as Diego came out of the caravan. It was two in the morning. In Dallas, Halloween was probably still in full swing but the circus lay quiet against the surrounding trees. There were blue and red lights dancing in the distance over the night sky as ambulances waited to return to the hospital with some of the guests of the circus that had been injured. The warm glow of the campfire painted shadows across the lawn. Thankfully, most of the guests had gotten out unharmed and those who had been injured hadn't gotten any serious injuries. It still seemed to take ages for the paramedics to take care of everyone. In the distance, people were chatting loudly, gesticulating wildly, and children were crying. The police were there too, asking uncomfortable questions, talking to people about what happened.

Needless to say, they didn't seem to believe the story of an army of ghosts attacking everyone. The first person screeching about ghosts had been checked over by the paramedics immediately for any head trauma or signs of shock. Malfunctioning tech. That was their explanation for this shitshow. _Thankfully_.

“How is he?” Luther asked. His voice was heavy as he addressed his brother. He was leaning against the side of Klaus’ caravan, his arms crossed, his eyes tired. The echo of the scare that they had all suffered, still etched into the lines of his face. Allison and Raymond too were looking at him, worry and concern clearly painted onto the canvases of their faces.

“Still asleep,” Diego rasped and dragged a hand down his face. “I don't think he’s injured or anything … just exhausted.”

Silence fell over the three Hargreeves and Raymond Chestnut as Diego fell heavily onto another bench. He listened to the sounds around them, to the hustle and bustle of the circus and all those other people around. Soon, the police would want to talk to them as well. Until then, they could wait back here, he assumed.

“What was that?” Leave it to Raymond Chestnut, a man in over his head, to ask the really important questions. 

“You mean the ghost thing or everything else?” Maybe now was not the time to be funny with the other man but he couldn't quite help it, not as long as Diego didn't know how much Raymond actually knew about them.

“I mean … Allison told me about … the powers … the time travel … but … not that something like this could happen.” If Luther was as surprised as Diego was that Allison had really told Raymond everything, he didn't show it.

“Well, it never did before,” Luther replied patiently. “Klaus never … I mean, we never even saw him conjure spirits like that before. Even as a kid, before he started with the drugs, he never really manifested them. We knew he could do that for a while now but never like this. He was always too afraid of them to do that.”

“It was too much,” Diego said. “He overexerted himself and lost control.”

“It was terrifying!” Raymond’s confession rang true for all of them. “I mean … they looked so real, didn't they? And they … _touched_ people! _Attacked_ people!”

“At least now we know why he was so afraid of them as a kid” Luther whispered. There was a part of him that wanted to punch Luther in the face for it but he was right no matter how insensitive it might be or sound. “I mean … if that’s what he is seeing every day of his life…”

“He tried to tell us,” Alison murmured to herself. “When we were little. remember? When it first started, he couldn't sleep because of the ghosts. We thought he’s just making it all up for attention and that it couldn't be so bad, right?” Ray patted her hand as if to comfort her. Maybe he was trying to comfort himself. It had to be a lot for this poor guy. 

“What are we going to do now?” Diego sighed at last. “We can't stay here, can we? I mean … now that the police got involved.”

“They will think it was just the special effects malfunctioning and that the crowd made the rest up out of panic.” He could tell just by the look on his brother’s face that this was more of a wish than what he was actually thinking about the situation. Poor Luther. He didn't want to leave this place. 

“Sure but … we still drove a lot of attention onto ourselves here.” Diego replied to his brother with no hesitation. “If this makes news, we might face some serious trouble. Maybe even Dad will hear about it. Not to mention the Commission. Five told us about them, remember? We are messing with the timeline with us being here and they don’t particularly like that.” In fact, Diego thought, it was a miracle that the Commission hadn't sent anyone yet.

“What do you propose then?”

“We should leave and go into hiding - or something.”

“Hide?” Allison chimed up. “The great Diego Hargreeves wants to go into hiding because of the possibility that something _might_ happen? I have to agree with Luther here.”

“Big surprise!”

“Listen, I don't think anything will come of this.” Allison raised her hands in surrender, clearly not willing to engage in a fight with him. “The police will chalk it up to the people being confused and believing that what they’ve seen was real, in addition to the spooky atmosphere with it being Halloween and the effects malfunctioning causing a panic. That's it. You don't really think they believe superpowers might exist, do you?”

“It's just … I want to be careful.” He tried a softer approach, knowing his siblings were much more receptive to that. 

“We can't decide that on our own anyway,” Luther then stated and pointed at the caravan. “We have to hear what Klaus says before we do anything. And Ben too. We owe them as much.”

“As you wish,” Diego finally gave up. Luther was right, after all. They had spent all their lives making decisions without asking the rest of their family. What good this did for their family and the world had been evident by Vanya’s freakout of apocalyptic proportions. “Okay. Good. We’ll wait.”

“And,” Allison chimed up again. She looked a bit unsure of her next words as she grabbed her husband’s hand to ground herself. There was hope creeping into her dark eyes as she looked at them next. “maybe … I mean … if they are still alive and out there … what happened tonight might act as a signal fire. Maybe this way they can finally find us.”

※※※※※※※

Klaus woke up in the early hours of the morning as the sun had not yet risen completely. The sky was pink without the tiniest cloud to be seen - innocent and pure as if nothing had happened the night before. Diego was at his side as he blinked awake. He hadn't slept at all since it all went down. He had stayed at his side, holding his hand, brushing fingers through his curls hoping it would shoo away his nightmares.

The moment his lover stirred, Diego, put a hand on his cheek, allowing his warmth seeping into Klaus’ skin. Klaus’ eyes fluttered open and Diego was right there to soothe him. “Hey,” He whispered close to Klaus’ ear. “It's okay … I’m here”

“Diego?” Confusion clung to his voice but he leaned into the touch and into the heat of Diego’s body. “What happened?”

“Can't you remember anything?” Diego asked quietly. 

“No,” He replied in a raspy voice. “No … just … I did my show … didn't I? And then … there were all those ghosts, Dee … First, it was like a dripping faucet … but then it became a flood wave. I don't remember anything after that.” 

“It looked like it too,” Diego sighed. “But before that … it was amazing … I didn't know you could do something like this.”

“Yeah, me neither,” Klaus huffed and blinked his green eyes tiredly at him. “Did anyone get hurt?”

“Just a few scratches here and there. Luther, Allison, and I helped the people to get out.”

“What happened then?”

“Allison rumored you asleep.”

“Good thing you invited her then,” He chuckled. “And didn't tell me about it - which wasn’t nice by the way. First time I see my sister in years and I go and give her the scare of her life immediately. I’m sure that made her husband really fond of little old me, huh?”

“Ray is surprisingly … tolerant in this regard.”

“Wow, who would have thought?”

There was a knock on the door of the caravan and then it opened a few inches. “Diego,” The voice of his sister called out quietly. “The police want to talk to Klaus.”

“He’s not ready yet.”

“It's okay, Dee,” Klaus murmured. “Help me put some clothes on and then I’ll talk to the police.”

“Are you sure?” Diego asked. “You just woke up after all this mess and I just … you should take it slow.”

“I appreciate your worry and as much as I like to be coddled, the sooner I talk to them the sooner they leave us alone for good.” He patted his cheek and granted Diego that smile that never failed to disarm him. “Just tell me our story so I know what lies to tell.”

Allison hesitated in the door and looked from Klaus to Diego. At last, Diego nodded at her and she closed the door again to leave and have the message delivered. He watched how Klaus slowly got up from the bed even though he seemed dizzy and disoriented. Diego followed him without thinking about it. He helped Klaus get dressed but still hesitated as it came to leaving the caravan. Just as Klaus wanted to reach for the handle, he stopped him and pressed him against the door.

“What's wrong, Tiger?” Klaus grinned mischievously but it was lacking its usual spark. He still seemed utterly exhausted.

“A kiss good luck?” Diego replied softly. For some reason, he really didn't want Klaus to go out there. He could feel that something bad was going to happen the moment they would leave this caravan, their safe haven. Klaus, however, didn't seem to harbor any such fears as he breathed out a chuckle and pulled him in for a kiss. It was short and sweet and over way too quickly. Before he knew it, Klaus had opened the door and slipped outside. Diego barely had time to follow him and as he stepped outside, Klaus was already sauntering towards the police as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

Allison and Ray were sitting at a picnic table looking uneasy by the presence of the police and Luther was hovering around near his own caravan keeping an eye on everything. He noticed how Jimmy was talking to a couple of men by the big tent. He had never seen those guys before but it didn't strike him as odd right away. People were coming and going all the time at this place. The policemen were sitting at another table and he could only watch how Klaus sat down with them. He wanted to eavesdrop or sit down beside Klaus but he had a feeling the police wouldn't be a fan of that. He had talked to them earlier already and stuck largely to the same story the others had told them - close enough to convince the police and with enough differences to make it believable to them that they didn't agree on a story to tell them. 

So, since he couldn't go to them and listen in, he sat down with Allison and Raymond.

“How’s he holding up?” Raymond asked silently as Luther crept a little closer.

“I don't know,” Diego sighed. “Honestly. He just woke up and although he says he can do this … Well, Klaus has always been a good actor. He’s never been good at telling people how he really feels. He makes a fuss over a scraped knee but when something is seriously wrong with him he gets quiet.”

“Yeah…” Allison sighed. “That's true.”

“Do you think they bought our story?”

“I mean we just confirmed what they thought anyway, right?” Luther asked quietly. “The police came up with the faulty tech story.”

His eyes drifted back over to where Klaus was again. He was talking animatedly to them like he always did - big gestures and sunny smiles. The faces of the policemen, however, were cold and Diego could all but smell the judgment that protruded from them as they stared at Klaus. It was clear what they thought of him. It was evident by the way they would exchange glances with each other. Then, all of a sudden, the two men that had been talking to Jimmy walked over to the picnic table where Klaus was sitting.

“Who are those guys?”

“I don't know,” Allison shrugged. “But they are probably from the insurance company or something.”

“They strike me as FBI,” Raymond remarked. That was when Diego noticed their badges that were clipped to their belts. 

“Yeah … I think you’re right.” He got up from his seat on instinct and Luther too seemed to stiffen a little, squaring his jaw and ready to pounce if they needed to. That, however, caught the attention of the cops that were with Klaus. He noticed how one of them talked into his radio. Diego had spent more than enough time with police to know that they were asking for backup. Shit. He knew that whatever would happen next, couldn't be good. He felt it sizzling in the air. Then, however, the two policemen just nodded at Klaus and got up while the other two guys turned away to leave. Just like that, the police and the strangers just left the campsite.

“So that was fun” Klaus addressed the group as he returned to them. The moment he slumped down at the picnic table, it became obvious how drained and weak he really was. It was also very obvious, at least to Diego, that he was trying to play it down. 

“Who were those other two guys?” Diego said. He wanted to put his arm around him, he wanted Klaus to lean his head against Diego’s shoulder so that he might feel like he could actually be of help to the man he loved. He wanted to kiss Klaus’ temple of his hair or his lips. He couldn't, though. Not with Jimmy around. Not with anyone else around who thought that they were brothers and that there was nothing else going on between them. Plus, even though it seemed that Ray knew about them, he didn't know how he would react to it. That poor bastard had already suffered more than enough shocks, he guessed.

“Ben says they are from the FBI” Klaus shrugged. “They talked with Jimmy earlier about what happened. They don't seem to believe that there is anything going on, though. I guess they have been sent here to investigate if this might have been an act of terror or something.”

“That makes no sense” Allison scoffed. “Why would terrorists attack a circus?”

“Why wouldn't they?” Ray shrugged. “Terrorists love to go for easy targets, Darling. Schools, preschools, markets, subway, busses. They don't usually attack high-ranking politicians or other important world leaders. They go for the soft targets to goad their opponent into a fight. And those fights usually take more and more and more innocent lives on both sides. Which is why I hope Kennedy will not get involved in this awful war over in Vietnam any further.”

Kennedy, Diego thought briefly. Kennedy would die later this month. Kennedy would die and the U.S. would deploy more and more soldiers to Vietnam. Raymond didn't know that yet and it was probably best to not tell him anything about that either. 

“So, if we have exceptionally bad luck” Luther muttered. “The FBI might come to the conclusion that this has been an act of terrorism from a Russian spy or something and they will arrest us all? Good thing we never have any bad luck, right?”

Diego flashed him a lopsided grin. They really needed to pack up and leave this place sooner rather than later. It was Klaus, however, who came to a different conclusion.

“If we would leave now” He sighed. “That would just make us all look even more suspicious. We should just stay put and act normal.”

※※※※※※※

He didn't know what it was that woke him up that night. He had been sleeping peacefully next to Klaus and held him still in his arms as he woke up. A bad dream, he said to himself as he blinked awake. He couldn't recall the dream he had had, though - only the feeling of dread it had given him. For a moment, he stayed where he was, lying next to Klaus and watching him sleep like this. He had yet to recover from the stress his body had been put through and slept like the dead. 

Diego, on the other hand, was still mesmerized by the fact that he had him back in his life, that he had him back in his arms. Gently he brushed his fingers over Klaus’ cheek but Klaus didn't stir and he was glad about that. He didn't even stir as Diego pressed a kiss to his temple or as he slowly got out of bed. He needed to stretch his legs. 

He stepped outside the caravan without hesitation and into the cool night air. The campsite was completely quiet this late at night. Everyone was in their trailers and fast asleep. It had been a long day for all of them. The big tent needed repairs and some of the other carney folks had gotten hurt during Klaus’ show too. It really was quiet - _too_ quiet for Diego’s liking as he walked across the lawn. He just couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn’t quite right. He spent a couple of minutes just walking around until a sound suddenly caught his attention. It sounded like a twig breaking underneath the foot of someone right behind him. He whirled around, something was slammed against his temple, and then the world went dark.

※※※※※※※

One day, he had always known this, he would end up like this. Tied to a chair in a white room, being interrogated by some stranger in a sharp suit with neat hair. His head hurt like a bitch and Ben was standing next to the door looking very much concerned for the crappy situation Klaus was in right now. Well, this situation was hardly any worse than others he had been in previously. He would get out of this somehow. He had always been able to get out of most situations, after all. He would find a way out of this one as well. Those people in the room, neither the guy in the suit nor the woman with the cruel face, knew it yet but Klaus would get out unscathed. 

“I’m Special Agent Willy Gibbs from the Federal Bureau of Investigation.” The man in the suit said as he approached the desk Klaus was sitting at as if he had a choice to be here. He watched how the man was switching on the recorder that was placed on the desk. He watched how the record started spinning, listened to the whirring of it.

“Where are my siblings?”

Gibbs gave him a puzzled look before he opened the file he was holding in his hands and glanced down at the papers. “Mr. Luther Hargreeves and Mr. Diego Hargreeves are currently in the custody of the Dallas police force for their assistance in the terrorist attack led by one Raymond Chestnut and his wife Allison Chestnut.”

He couldn't help but laugh. It was a dry, humorless little sound and it was obvious that Gibbs wasn’t much of a fan of that. “Yeah … Of course!” He breathed out.

“So, tell me who you are,” Gibbs asked him and Klaus snorted in return. He knew what would happen. He had seen enough movies to know. 

“My name is Klaus Hargreeves.” He replied dutifully.

“Do you have any ID that could attest to that?”

“Yeah probably in my other purse.”

“No driver’s license, birth certificate? You from around here?”

“Gee, if I would’ve known that you would be this straightforward with me on our first date, Willy, I would have brought everything! Do you need my shoe size too? My measurements? No? If it helps, I have a deathly peanut allergy.”

“Klaus,” The man replied in a way that told Klaus exactly what he was thinking. He could see how the man was turning his name over in his head, tasting it on his tongue. “That's a german name, right? Where were you born?”

“I don't know,” Klaus shrugged, and at the questioning look that gave him, he added: “I was adopted.”

“Convenient.” 

※※※※※※※

Diego woke up with his head bursting at the seams. It was cold and damp wherever he was. With a dark groan, he opened his eyes and tried to make sense of the world around him.

“Keep calm.” A calm voice told him. He recognized it right away. He looked up and found Raymond sitting leaned against the iron bars of a cage. No, not a cage - it was a cell. He was in a cell. Why the hell was he in a cell? _Klaus!_ He shot up and the whole world went spinning out of control. Where was Klaus? He couldn't see him anywhere inside that cell. It was only Ray and him and, in another cell, he found his sister staring at him with worry.

“What the hell happened? Where’s Klaus? Where’s Luther?”

“The FBI took Klaus.”

“What?”

“They came in the night and took him - like the police apparently came in the night to take you and Luther,” Raymond said calmly. How the hell could he keep this calm in a situation like this? All Diego wanted right now was to strangle someone. 

“And you guys?”

“They came to our house last night,” Allison sighed. “They took us because apparently, we are terrorists.”

“You are what?”

“A terrorist,” Raymond said quietly. “We are active in the movement for racial equality, remember? The police caught us at the sight of some ‘terrible accident’ and they came to their own conclusion.”

“What conclusions?”

“Apparently, Ray, I, Luther, you and Klaus planned this whole thing.” Allison sighed. “And they took Klaus because they think he is a German spy for the Russians or something. I don't know. Maybe they want to see if he really has powers. Who knows?”

“Fuck!” Diego spat out. “Fuck! Where is Luther?”

“They put him in another cell and drugged him. I can only assume that Jimmy told them that you guys were dangerous. That’s why they came in the middle of the night to take you boys. Jimmy ratted you out. He sold Klaus to the FBI.”

“This fucking coward! I knew he was bad news but no one wanted to listen to me! We have to get out of here, Ally! We have to find Klaus!”

“I know but-”

“Just rumor them!” He growled. “Jesus Christ, Ally, now is not the time to sit here and not do anything, okay?”

There was a flash of blue just outside their cell.

“Diego Hargreeves in a cell,” A very familiar, very snarky voice called out. “I am inclined to let you stay there.”

**-End of Chapter 8-**


	9. Chapter 9

The light was burning in his eyes as he sat in his chair. He had no idea for how long he had been here by now. He only knew that they had given him something to make him tell the truth and even as he started telling the fucking truth, they didn't believe him. Well, his story was a bit strange, he assumed. Of course, those FBI agents wouldn't believe his story about time travel and superpowers and the eccentric billionaire that had raised him and his six adopted siblings of which one was dead and standing right behind one of the agents. Shortly, it occurred to Klaus that he could make Ben corporal and have him take those fuckers out so that he would be able to escape but the thought was a fleeting one. He couldn't keep it in his head. It just escaped like water running through his fingers. 

“Who are you working for?” Gibbs growled at him. He was getting impatient now. He had loosened his tie a while ago and started looking more and more disheveled by the minute. 

“I’m not working for anyone!” Klaus said for what felt like the thousandths time. And still, they didn't like that answer. Still, they wouldn't just let him go back to Diego and Luther. Diego … He didn't even know what happened to his precious Diego. It had all happened too quickly. One moment he had been fast asleep in his bed and the next someone had pressed him face-down on his bed and handcuffed him - and not in a sexy way either.

“Maybe it's time for a different approach,” The agent in front of him said. Klaus watched how he nodded at his assistant, that incredibly sour-looking lady. She turned on her heel and walked out of the room. It seemed ages that she was gone before she returned with a strange-looking device. He had seen shit like this before but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

“Klaus!” Ben’s voice sounded urgent now. “They are going to shock you! You need to get out! You need to escape! Make me corporal so I can help you!”

Ben’s words didn't make much sense and neither did it make sense that his feet were suddenly standing in an inch of water. A leather strap was biting into his head. He watched, dazed and confused, how that angry nurse walked over to him with a bottle in her hands. There was a sharp stinging in his eyes and then his world started to turn on its head.

※※※※※※※

Five’s arrival was like a miracle. If miracles arrived in culottes and knee-high socks paired with a caffeine addiction. Within ten minutes of his initial arrival at the police station, Five had jumped them all out of that place and into an apartment above some weird abandoned TV store with a nervous-looking dude staring at them wide-eyed and confused. And, to his biggest surprise, their sister Vanya was sitting comfortably on a sofa inside that weird-ass apartment as if nothing had happened.

After the initial tears from Allison and the excited hugs that were exchanged between the sisters, they were all sitting down on the various sofas and armchairs across the room. Diego was fidgeting with a butter knife, looking at his siblings, and still couldn't believe that they were all back together. All except for Klaus. Klaus, who was currently probably going through hell and back while Diego was unable to help him.

“How did you find us?” Luther finally asked Five after they had all settled down.

“Easy,” Five shrugged and pointed at the old-fashioned rabbit ear TV in the room as if it should be obvious. Well, for 1963s standards, it was probably the hottest shit right now. “You guys were on the news. They talked about an ‘accident’ at some circus, people talking about hoards of ghosts and shit. Then there was a police statement that the ‘accident’ was a terrorist attack.”

“They showed pictures of you guys,” Vanya helpfully added. There was a gush on her forehead that slowly started to heal as if she had been hit by something in the head.

“What happened to you?” Allison turned to her sister as she too seemed to have noticed the wound and was not extending a caring hand to gently brush the tips of her fingers over it.

“Five hit me with a car,” Vanya replied so calmly as if it was completely normal. The sad thing was that in their family it probably was completely normal.

“How are you feeling?” Luther turned to their injured sister. He had never seen Vanya slumping in a chair like this. Sure, she had never been the most ladylike despite their father’s best efforts to make a proper lady out of her but seeing her slumped back like this, was a bit weird. 

“Pretty shitty, to be honest,” Vanya replied honestly.

“Where would you say you are on a scale from one to ending all life on this planet?” Diego asked and earned a startled gasp from Elliot, their host, and an annoyed grunt from Five.

“Really?” His sister’s voice was bordering on playful as if it was no big deal that she went all White Violin on them not too long ago.

“Diego, put the knife away, you idiot. She’s fine.” Seeing Luther step up and defend his siblings was something he still had to get used to. Like so many other things.

“The last time I saw this one, she had me suspended midair, sucking the life out of me with energy tentacles.” Another startled gasp from Elliot who apparently thought that they might be aliens. “I think I’m allowed a little time to process.”

“Oh, I would love to see an energy tentacle.”

Vanya finally sat up a bit straighter again and Allison patted her hand. “I don't remember all that I did,” She pointed at her head wound. “But I’m sorry … if … if that means anything.”

“It does,” Diego replied and finally put the knife down. “Just going through a lot right now.”

“Yeah,” Five breathed out an annoyed sigh. “We all are, Diego. So maybe you could just take your head out of your own ass now and focus back on the important topic at hand.”

“Which is what?”

Five stood up and clapped his hands like a teacher who was about to start a lesson. Wonderful. “All right. First off, I wanna say I’m sorry. I know I really screwed the pooch on this whole going-back-in-time-and-getting-stuck thing. But the real kick in the pants here is we brought the end of the world back here with us.”

“Again?” Allison sighed, ignoring the shocked look both Raymond and Elliot were sending Five’s way.

“How long do we have?” Luther asked.

“We have until Tuesday. We have three days.” That was like a punch in the guts. 

“Is it Vanya?” Diego pointed his knife at her. He had a feeling Klaus would ask the same thing. Klaus, who didn't know about the coming end of the world. Fuck, he really couldn't just sit around here like this and listen to all this bullshit when Klaus was somewhere possibly afraid or hurt.

“Diego!” Allison hissed.

“What? It was Vanya last time!”

“Do you have any leads Five?” Vanya asked quietly, not bothered in the slightest by Diego’s words as it seemed.

“I do,” Five replied. “I have one. I jumped too far, ended up on the day of the apocalypse. I found a newspaper.” He walked over to a narrow side table and grabbed the newspaper he had placed there. “Luckily for me, our dear old friend Hazel saved my ass before I got nuked like the rest of you guys. He says ‘Hi’ by the way. He and Agnes have been living it up in Las Vegas for a while. He will be here soon with his suitcase, ready to bring us back home.”

Ray was now very pale and Elliot looked like he wanted to throw up. Five, however, just threw the newspaper on the coffee table between them. There, on the front page was it in bright bold letters: _‘FBI headquarters in Dallas destroyed by Soviet spy - Kennedy declares war’_.

“Fuck me sideways” Diego breathed out. He felt sick.

“Do you think...” Allison whispered. “Klaus? You think it's Klaus, don't you?”

“I _think_ ” Five put emphasis on the last word. “I think that our dear brother showed very real, very dangerous new powers during that ‘accident’ at the circus if it's true what I heard. I mean hoards of tangible ghosts that attacked people? An earthquake? Dad always said that Klaus only scratched the surface of what he is truly capable of-”

“He did what?”

“Oh,” Five shrugged. “I read it in one of his journals,” He said nonchalantly. “Before I got stuck in time. Dad believed that Klaus could do more than just commune with the dead. If he’s right and if Klaus’ new sobriety helps him unlock those powers and tap into them - there is no telling what he might do with those powers.”

“But Klaus would never hurt anyone willingly.”

“No, but he lost control at the circus,” Allison sighed. “You saw it too, Diego. He couldn't control it and there is no saying what might have happened if I hadn't been there to rumor him.”

“Then we know what to do,” Diego growled. “We have to go to the FBI headquarters and find Klaus.”

※※※※※※※

_It was dark. The cold was biting into the flesh of his skin. He sat huddled in the corner of the stone chamber, cobwebs clung to his hair, spiders were crawling over his naked arms and the touch of the dead was burning his skin like frost burning off his flesh. He was floating between the stars with no hope of being rescued - not knowing if he wanted to be rescued. His ears were bleeding. The screams of all those lost souls were ripping through him like knives. Their claws left pulsating wounds in their wake as they tore his flesh from his bones. There was a voice talking somewhere in the distance. Deep and baritone but he couldn't understand the words. He only understood that he was being asked the same question over and over._

_However, he was stuck inside the mausoleum, inside that stone grave. He was inside a stone sarcophagus. He couldn't get out. He couldn't stretch his arms. His fingers and knees were hitting cold hard stone - unyielding, uncaring, unbreaking._

_The voice spoke up again but Klaus couldn't hear anything over the screeching of the dead._

※※※※※※※

There wasn’t much of a plan. Not that this would be anything new. They were fugitives of the law now, their faces plastered all over the news since Five broke them all out. They didn't have much time to carefully plan anything. They had to act swiftly and not waste more time than was strictly necessary. They knew where Klaus was being held, after all. Now, they needed to get in there and get him out before something worse could happen. 

At first, Diego hadn't wanted to believe it. That Klaus could possibly be the cause of the end of the world. But he had seen it - in the big tent. He had seen what Number Four could do - what he might be capable of. Maybe it was a little much to assume that he was capable of causing the apocalypse but there was no telling what they were doing to him right at that moment. There was no telling how their treatment of Klaus might affect his powers. He could become a bomb, much like Vanya. Deep down he knew that this was true, no matter how much the thought frightened him. It frightened him because he knew that, if that would happen, no one would be able to stop him.

Deep down, he had always known it. He had seen it in the darkness that was lurking behind Klaus’ eyes. He had seen it in the writings all over Klaus’ bedroom walls. It had always been there. The darkness, the insanity - this power he possessed deep down inside. Reggie had seen it. He knew that this was true. They all knew that this was true. 

When they arrived at the FBI headquarters they had to act swiftly so that they wouldn't be seen or noticed. However, as they came into the building, they realized that such precaution wasn’t needed. There was no describing what was going on inside that building. It was like walking straight into a nightmare. 

There was blood splattered all over the walls of the lobby. He saw a pair of legs sticking out from behind the front desks. A nylon pantyhose shimmering in the neon light of the dangling ceiling lamp like diamonds. An arm, ripped from someone’s shoulder was lying in the middle of the foyer. It was ice cold inside the building and the air tasted like iron.

“What is this?” He heard Allison whisper behind him. Her breath fogged in front of her face. 

They had come as a trio. Luther and Vanya had stayed behind with Elliot and Raymond because Five hadn't been able to zap them all here and Vanya was still injured. If someone would find out where they had been hiding and attack the abandoned TV store, Luther would at least be able to protect her, Ray, and Elliot. And, if Hazel would arrive while they were gone, he would find familiar faces. And Allison … Well, she would be able to rumor Klaus if it was necessary, at least. 

“That’s Klaus,” Five said, his expression unreadable as he said it and took in the carnage inside the lobby.

He wanted to argue that he couldn't be sure about that but he bit down on the words that threatened to spill out. He knew that it was the truth. He was freezing cold as they walked through the lobby, past numerous dead bodies, past limbs that had been torn from bodies. They reached the elevator but no matter how much they pushed the buttons, the elevator wouldn't come. 

“We don't even know where he is,” Allison reasoned. “All we can do is take the stairs and try finding him.”

“I bet we will notice if we found the right floor” Diego scoffed. They didn't waste any more time as they hurried towards the stairs and started walking up. Even Five actually walked. He seemed unsettled by what was going on. Even in the staircase blood was decorating the walls. Something had ripped those people limb from limb. The higher up they got, the worse the carnage seemed to get, and the colder the air became around them.

Finally, as they reached the fifth floor, they found the door to the staircase busted from its hinges and lying on the ground. Behind the door, a massacre waited for them to be discovered. It was worse even as what they had discovered down in the lobby. As they stepped out of the staircase and into the hallway, they could see the elevator doors open but there was no elevator. Instead, the torn cables that were supposed to hold the elevators were laughing back at them. 

Some of the people on the ground looked as if they had been thrown across the rooms they were in by some invisible force, many of them had broken bones poking out of their bodies. The air was vibrating around them. It felt like electricity dancing over his arms and making every hair on his body raise in alarm. Something was not right - something other than the dozens of dead bodies splattered across the ground as they slowly walked the corridors of the building. 

※※※※※※※

_He was sitting at the dinner table. The uniform he was wearing was too small and too big at the same time. The stiff collar of the shirt was biting into his neck like a venomous snake. He felt small under Sir Reginald’s frosty gaze as the man’s attention was focused solely on him. He was staring down his sharp, long nose at him, a glass of wine in one hand. It looked like blood. His father was drinking blood. No. Not his father. The man at the head of the table was not his father. He had no father. He had no mother. He was all alone in the world. A freak of nature. Unwanted and uncared for. Cast out into the wilderness. Sold._

_His gaze slowly drifted across the table, taking in the faces of his adopted siblings. Everyone was staring at him. Something was weird about them. It wasn’t even the fact that they were all dressed in their uniforms. It was their eyes. Something about all of their eyes was wrong. It took him a second to realize that all their eyes looked like frosted glass, blind and yet seeing and watching his every move, judging him._

_“Number Four,” Reginald hissed. Klaus looked at him and he still had his glass in hand. “Drink!” He looked back at his siblings. They were all holding a glass of red wine. It looked like blood. There was a glass in his hand too. The wine looked like blood. Everyone was watching him. There was nothing he could do but drink. The taste of iron was overbearing as he watched in horror how his siblings started to drink too. They gulped down on it so quickly, that the blood ran down their chins. Someone was laughing. A child was laughing._

_He put the glass down and turned around in his chair. There was no one there. As he looked back at the table, everyone was gone. There was a young boy sitting on the chair that Reginald had occupied. He could be no older than four with wild curly hair. Another boy, barely eight years old, sat on Vanya's chair. He had cobwebs in his hair and spiders crawling down his face. And another one, a teenager, was sitting across from him. They were all staring at him with unseeing eyes. Needles were stuck in their arms. A needle was stuck in his arm._

_“What's happening?” He mumbled to himself._

_“You poisoned us.” The teenager in front of him said._

_“You destroyed our life.” The eight-year-old said._

_“You killed us.” The little boy with the fearful big green eyes said._

_“You should have been stronger.”_

_“You are such a disappointment.”_

_“You should never have been born.”_

_“I’m sorry,” Klaus whispered. The room was cold. His breath was fogging in front of his lips. Ghostly fingers were dancing over the skin of his neck. “I’m sorry … I should have tried harder.” The lights flickered and as he blinked, he was back inside the mausoleum. Alone. It was freezing cold. And it was silent. He was locked in a grave. A row of coffins was laid out in front of him. Six open coffins. He knew what those coffins were. He knew who was inside them. Yet, he still got to his feet and slowly shuffled through the dust and dirt towards the first one._

_His big brother Luther was resting in the first wooden box, his eyes wide open, his throat torn from ear to ear, a horrible bloody grin. A sob tore from his own throat at the sight. He stared at the row of open coffins, saw the dead bodies of his siblings in them. Bloody and disfigured. And Diego._ His _Diego._

_“Diego,” He sobbed as he fell in the dust next to Diego’s coffin. “No, no, no, no, no!” He pulled at the corpse of his lover until he could cradle him closer to his chest and bury his nose in Diego’s black hair. there were cobwebs in his hair, little spiders crawling over his legs, a hole ripped through his chest where his heart used to be._

_“You should have done more.”_

※※※※※※※

Ghosts. Thousands of ghosts filled the halls of the FBI. The deeper they went into the innards of the floor they were on, the thicker the mass of ghosts and the stronger the strange feeling of electricity in the air became. There was a deep humming sound that was vibrating in his skull and made him feel like his head was going to explode. The closer they got to the source of this energy, the more often Diego saw people who had suffered exactly that fate. People without their heads lying around all over the place. 

“Oh my God,” Allison muttered breathlessly. She was holding her head, her face twisted in pain. He wanted to tell her to go back but he knew that she wouldn't do so and that they couldn’t pass on the opportunity her powers promised. Moving through the wall of ghosts was absolutely terrifying. They seemed completely still and uninterested by them but for how long? It didn't take a genius to realize that those phantoms had caused so much havoc on the lower floors. They had been ripping people apart limb by limb and now they stood there as if they didn't even notice the trio. The dead FBI agents and employees were slowly joining their ranks. They were tangible, a very real threat, a very real danger. It was like stepping into a minefield and there was no telling when the bombs would go off.

They were silent as they crept down the corridor. They barely moved even their heads just in case the tiniest bit of movement would draw the attention of the dead towards them. Still, out of the corner of his eyes, he could see the holes in the walls. Doors had blown out of their hinges, heavy filing cabinets had smashed through drywall as if a bomb had gone off. The vibrations in the air, the ever-growing pulsating force, however, told Diego very clearly that the real blast was yet to come - the explosion that would destroy the building and prompt Kennedy to declare war on the Soviets. They had to act fast but even Five seemed cautious. Even Five seemed terrified of the mangled corpses around them and of the ghosts that were hovering, destroyed, and full of rage. 

※※※※※※※

_“You should have done more!” The voices of his siblings were distorted and gurgling as they raised from their graves. Their skin was marred with horrible wounds. He could see Luther’s teeth through a hole in his cheek. They were all horribly disfigured as they stood in front of Klaus, rotten and decayed and with fury in their dead eyes - as far as they still had eyes._

_“You should have tried harder!”_

_“You could have saved us! You could have saved us all!”_

_“You are such a disappointment!”_

_“You are a narcissist!”_

_“All you care about is yourself!”_

_“You killed us,” Diego said. “You killed me.”_

※※※※※※※

The door at the end of the corridor had been blown out of its hinges and tore huge chunks of the walls with it. They stopped at the sight. The wall of ghosts was now so thick that none of them wanted to even try to get through them. Klaus was down there. They all knew it, they could all feel it.

“What do we do?” Allison whispered. 

“They didn't attack us so far,” Five muttered. “We should just advance and hope for the best.”

“What if they do attack?”

“If one of us gets through to Klaus we still have a chance!”

“So it's a suicide mission?” Diego replied quietly.

“It's really our only chance. We don't have much time left.”

“We go at three,” Allison nodded at her brothers. 

It was a horrible idea. They all knew that. They didn't have to actually voice that. And yet, what choice did they have? The clock was ticking. Literally. There had been a time for the disaster in the news article that Five had presented them with - 3 PM. There was a clock hanging on the wall but the glass was shattered and the hands were stuck at 02:45 PM. That was when this all began. They probably had barely five minutes left before this whole building would collapse and bury them _and_ Klaus underneath the stone and rubble. 

“Okay,” Diego agreed and Five gave them a sharp nod, his jaw set, and his eyes hard. Something wasn’t right. He could feel it in his bones. Something besides all the messed up shit that was going on already. Something bad was about to happen.

“Okay,” Allison said and took a deep breath to brace herself. “One … Two … _THREE!_ ”

The moment the last word left her mouth, a shrill screech filled the air but the three siblings started running regardless. Thousands of hands tried to stop them. He felt claws digging into his skin as he ran. A flash of blue caught his attention as Five teleported through the army of ghosts. His sister was shouting but he couldn't see her in this ocean of phantoms. Diego was only a couple of steps away from the room Klaus was in as he fell to the ground and his whole world got swallowed up by the blue glowing spirits around him, tearing at his clothes, ripping the fabric of his shirt, grabbing fistfuls of his hair, pulling on his limbs. They would pull his arms and legs off as they had with the employees of this building. Allison was screaming over the shrill screeching around them. A tentacle was whipping through the air and then- _BANG!_

The world stopped turning. 

The ghosts vanished as if they had never been there. The world stopped shaking. The screeching was gone. The world was back to normal and yet Diego could feel that it had tilted sideways. His body was exploding in pain as he scrambled to his feet. His sister was lying on the ground, groaning, covered in blood, and trying to get her bearings back. But Diego was already running to the door. Something had changed. Something wasn't right.

Five was standing in the middle of the room, there was still smoke coming from the gun he was holding in his hand. Klaus was slumped over in a chair, his feet in a bowl of water, a leather strap around his head, attached to a machine. There was blood all over his face, his jaw slack, his mouth hanging open. He could hear the short gasps that were escaping Five’s throat.

Klaus was dead. He knew that he was dead. The world had ended.

**-End of Chapter 9-**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tell me what you think <3
> 
> Also, if any of you guys like Vikings, maybe you wanna check out my new Vikings fanfic https://archiveofourown.org/works/27303163/chapters/66708322


	10. Epilog

Klaus was dead. He had a hole in his head and Diego's entire world shattered into a million tiny pieces. He watched as if he had left his body, how he threw himself at Five in a fit of rage. “What have you done?” He yelled. “What have you _done_?”

Five teleported out of his way after Diego’s first punch hit him square in the jaw, startling out of his stupor. 

“I did what I had to!” Five shouted back at him from across the room. His voice was hoarse as raw and tearing at its seams. “To save the world!” 

“You killed him!” Allison screeched. “You killed our brother!”

“He would have caused the end of the world! We would all have died!”

“We could have _stopped_ him! I could have rumored him!” Allison shouted back and Diego just stood there, staring at Klaus, trying to wrap his brain around what just happened. He wanted to actually kill Five. He wanted to throw himself at him again and kill him.

“There was no stopping him!” He had never heard Five’s voice this shrill but it started to become just noise as he zeroed in on the dead body of the man he loved in that chair. He couldn't stand it - seeing him being strapped to that chair. “You didn't get through the ghosts! They would have killed you both before you would have had the chance!”

His body moved on autopilot as his siblings kept yelling at each other. There was a ringing in his ears. He watched himself open the straps that were tying Klaus’ delicate wrists to the chair, then he moved on to the strap around his head. He tried to ignore all the blood - and the brain matter - as he opened the buckle and threw the strap to the side. Klaus’ body slumped forward right away, like he had cut the strings of a puppet. He caught him in his arms and pulled him away from the chair, his naked feet dragging across the floor before he sat down on the ground with him and pulled him close to his chest.

_Klaus was dead._

It made no sense. He didn't understand it. It just made no sense. How could he be dead? Just a little over forty-eight hours ago they had been together, lying in Klaus’ bed together. He had had him in his arms and Klaus had been alive and warm, his heart beating under the palm of Diego’s hand. He was still now. No cackling laughter, no stupid jokes. He was still. Much too still. Klaus was not supposed to be still. 

He buried his nose in Klaus’ curls and ignored the hole in his head until a hand gently touched his shoulder. “Diego,” Allison said quietly to get his attention. “Diego … We have to leave. The police will be here soon.”

He couldn't move. He didn't want to move. Still, Allison was right. He nodded and lifted his head to look at her. She had tears in her eyes and only when she reached out and brushed her fingers over his cheek did he realize that he had been crying. How could he not? It shouldn't be a surprise. He grabbed Klaus tighter to lift him up with him as he rose to his feet slowly. He couldn't leave him here. He deserved a proper funeral. Five seemed tired and exhausted as he looked at him. There was no way he would be able to teleport them all out. They would have to steal a car from the parking lot outside and they’d better be quick.

Everything that happened after, Diego barely registered. He moved on autopilot. Klaus was heavy in his arms, his head resting against Diego’s shoulder, his left arm dangling lifelessly. They made their way down through the eerily silent building until they were back outside in the daylight again, walking across the parking lot. Five found them a car and Allison drove them home to the TV store while Diego was sitting in the back with Klaus in his lap as if this would change anything about this whole mess. 

※※※※※※※

**April 2019**

They had made it back home with Hazel’s help and his suitcase - and long before the commission had noticed anything about them messing with the end of the world again. Coming home should feel like a reprieve. The end of the world had been averted twice, the academy was still standing and they were all back home. 

Yet, Diego Hargreeves found himself standing outside in the courtyard in front of yet another open grave in the ground next to where they had buried Ben so many years ago. Rain was pouring down on the five remaining Hargreeves children, Pogo, and Grace as the coffin was being lowered into the ground. This time Diego was holding an umbrella in his hand and this time he was wearing a proper suit. Nobody said anything. There was nothing to say. They had said everything. They had returned to their own time and home two days ago and ever since Diego had not slept or eaten anything. He couldn't. It was impossible. Every time he thought about eating something, he felt like throwing up. Nothing seemed to make sense anymore. His world had been thrown off balance and he found himself stumbling and confused at all hours of the day. 

He barely listened to the priest ramble on about death and Christ. Not that any of them had been religious in their lives but Klaus deserved a proper funeral and the proper rites for what it was worth. He deserved everything. He deserved the world. And yet he was lying in that polished wooden box and Diego could only watch how he was being lowered into the cold ground, replaying over and over in his head the last time he had told Klaus how much he loved him. 

At least it was not the mausoleum, he thought as he stared down onto the coffin. He watched how each of his siblings took a hand full dirt and threw it on the coffin before slowly retreating back into the house. He watched the priest leave and noticed the uncomfortable looks of the two gravediggers waiting for Diego to leave as well so that they could close the grave but Diego couldn't move. He was frozen in place. He wanted to scream and shout. Nothing more than that. 

“Sir” One of the men addressed him after what seemed to have been an eternity of him standing there in the rain. Diego looked up and before this poor fucker could say anything else, he nodded sharply and turned away from the open grave. It wouldn't bring Klaus back from the dead if he would stand here and watch his grave. Just as he made the first step in the direction of the door, he heard something behind him. At first, he thought that it was a shovel being dragged over the ground but then he could hear a voice.

“Did you say something?” He turned around to the gravediggers but they looked at each other in confusion. They had not yet approached the grave - probably wanting to wait until Diego would be out of sight. Then the sound came again - from within the grave. The sound made his heart stop and as he looked at the two men, they became very pale all of a sudden. Before Diego could say anything, they started to pull the coffin back up and the sound from within became louder. Even before the coffin was put down on the grass again, Diego was already there, hovering as the men pried the coffin open - apparently just as shocked and alarmed as Diego was right now. As the lid fell to the ground, the person inside the coffin shot up with a gasp and all but scrambled to get outside.

Horrified at the sight, Diego just stood there, staring at how the man he loved and buried today sat up in his coffin, coughed, and stared at him out of wide, terrified eyes.

※※※※※※※

His siblings were staring at him with wide eyes as he sat wrapped in a blanket, wrapped in Diego’s arms on the sofa in the living room. He had never experienced Diego this affectionate and clingy in front of other people but right now, he wouldn't let go of him, his nose buried into Klaus’ curls, not an inch of space between them. Not that he would complain or anything. 

“Well … that was awkward…” Klaus murmured just to break the silence in the room. “Getting buried and shit…”

“Yeah!” Vanya exclaimed the first of them to get her bearing back. “Well, maybe awkward is not exactly the word I would use! What the fuck, Klaus? What was that?”

“Hey,” Klaus replied and lifted his hands in a defensive gesture. “I’m not the one shooting one of us in the head, okay? I mean, Five, what the hell man?”

Five was silent, surprisingly. The entire time he was silent. He just sat there, staring at him with wide green eyes as if he was another world wonder. He knew what was going on in that head of his. He could tell. Diego would say it was because he had always been the most perceptive of them or some stupid shit like this. His Diego was just sweet like this, after all.

“I’m sorry,” Five said after a while. “I didn't-”

“Don't get your panties all twisted,” Klaus interrupted with a sigh. “You did what you had to do.”

“No, he-”

“Diego,” He sighed. “As much as I love to argue with you, Baby, he did what he had to do. I was … I had no control. Whatever they did to me there … it amplified … everything. I was locked inside my own head and … it was a nightmare. It was awful and I couldn't have gotten out on my own. He did what he had to do.”

“But you died!” Diego thundered.

“We all have to die eventually,” Klaus replied but brushed his fingers over the stubbles lining Diego’s jaw. “And I came back - apparently.”

“Did you know?” Luther asked quietly. “That you are immortal?”

“I don't think I’m _immortal_.” Klaus shrugged. He thought about that little girl on her bike. “I think God just doesn’t want me up there yet.”

Five suddenly got up from his seat and just teleported away. He was such a drama queen. Still, Klaus slowly extracted himself from Diego’s arms. He was a bit wobbly on his feet but that didn’t matter.

“Where are you going?” Diego asked as he got up.

“What do you think?”

“He killed you! You don't need to comfort him!”

“In his defense, I believe every single one of you wanted to kill me at one point.” Klaus huffed. “I’m gonna take care of this and in the meantime, you could be a dear and draw me a bath.” 

He didn't wait for a response as he left the living room. He knew where to find his brother and he knew that Diego didn't like it that he wanted to talk to him. He found Five in the library, just where he had expected him to be. It was the place where Five, Ben, and Vanya had spent most of their time together. He was sitting in the same worn-down armchair that he had always occupied as a child. He didn't have a book in his hands, though.

“I knew you would hide in here,” He greeted his brother quietly.

“I’m not hiding.”

“Yeah, you are,” He mocked. “It's your little hidy-hole.”

“Fuck off.”

“That's really not the right way to greet your dearly departed brother.”

“But you are not departed anymore,” Five groaned. “So, fuck off.”

“I meant what I said - that I don't blame you,” Klaus sighed. “For you know: _peng_ … I meant it. You did what you had to do. I believe you when you say that I would have destroyed the world if you wouldn’t have done anything. The way I see it … if you wouldn't have killed me, the building would have collapsed. I would have died during that - and you, Diego, and Allison would have probably died too. And then the world would have ended because of me, killing the rest of all the people that I love. So … yes, you had no choice and I would have died either way. At least this way it was quick and served to save the world.”

“I am glad that you are alive,” Five said quietly and looked up at him. “You are a menace, but you are our menace. I never wanted to kill you - or any of you for that matter. I love you. I love all of you.”

He was stunned by this admission. It shouldn't surprise him that much. Five had spent 45 years in the apocalypse trying to get back to them all, after all. He had fought the Commission just to get back to them. It shouldn't be that much of a shock. Yet, it was and he needed a moment to get his bearings back. As he did, he just smiled at Five. “You are getting soft with age, old man.”

“Drop dead.”

Klaus breathed out a laugh at that before he turned and left.

※※※※※※※

“You shouldn't be too hard on him” Klaus murmured quietly against the skin of his collarbone before he pressed a kiss to his skin there. He was trying to soothe Diego’s flaring temper. He knew exactly what Klaus was doing there - not that it would help him in withstanding it.

“He killed you,” Diego muttered. “He shot you in the head, his own brother.”

“But I’m back.”

“We didn't know you would come back. _He_ didn't know it.”

“All I’m saying is that he did the right thing for the greater good. He had to make a decision and he did. If he hadn't, I would have killed all of you guys and then the rest of the world just because I couldn't control my powers in the show and got too cocky with them.”

“I won’t forgive him.”

“Yeah, you will … eventually. You forgave Vanya too.”

“That’s different.”

“You are a very biased and stubborn person, Diego Hargreeves.”

“That I am,” Diego huffed and pulled him closer. “That's why you should marry me. You would always have someone you can argue with and we both know that you like arguing with me and getting on my nerves.”

“Are you … Did you just propose to me?” Klaus looked up at him stunned and surprised but with great amusement in his bottle-green eyes.

“Maybe,” Diego shrugged nonchalantly. “Listen, Dingus, I lost you twice already. I lost you when we got all separated and then you were dead. I am not going to lose you again.”

“You are aware that us being married will not change anything about the inevitability of death, yes?”

“I am aware.”

“You want my inheritance, is that it? You plan on murdering me after we got married so you will be filthy rich.”

“I am already filthy rich.”

“Yeah, but you would be richer.”

“Just out of curiosity: are you saying no?”

“No,” Klaus replied with a cheeky grin and a wiggle of his eyebrows. “I’m definitely saying yes. I mean, how could I squander this opportunity? I will make a great bride. Also, I would really like to stir up some media controversy with this.”

“Good,” Diego sighed with a grin spreading over his face. He hadn't planned on asking Klaus to marry him. Maybe at some point in the future but the future, he had learned now, was an uncertain little thing. “Then it's decided.”

“You know what?” Klaus asked after he pressed a kiss to his shoulder again. “I really wonder what happened to my cult after I left.”

**-End of Chapter 10-**


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